


The Witching Hour

by BBKat9



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Blood Magic, Dark Magic, Dark witches, Fantasy, Horror, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Magic, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rituals, Satanic Witches, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:15:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26545099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BBKat9/pseuds/BBKat9
Summary: Jaehyun's parents are leading the Dark Coven of satanic witches who are worship the Dark Lord and everything turns upside down after Jaehyun's ritual in the woods.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 41
Kudos: 122





	1. Red Moon

Jaehyun knew every step of the ritual, yet on the eve of his twentieth birthday he was seized with excitement mixed with fear. The moment had arrived, he was now old enough to write his name in the Book of the Beast and offer himself to the Dark Lord. He had been preparing for this sacrifice all his life, he wanted to make his parents and the Dark Coven proud, that was his mission. Before he was even born, a seer predicted that Jaehyun would make a difference in the life of the Dark Coven and not only because he would be one of the strongest witches of his generation, but because he would have a special ability.

Jaehyun didn’t understand the Vision for a long time, the pictures were mostly confusing, but the prediction wasn’t wrong about him: he was really special. He saw things that no one else saw, he also saw his own future and the future of the Dark Coven, which did not always show the most beautiful picture. He named as the Witch Prince among the Coven and Jaehyun knew it was a great honor. The Dark Coven saw him as the key to their survival and the boy wanted to do everything he could to avoid their disappointment. His parents had been leading the Dark Coven for years now, and Jaehyun’s job was to support his parents and help the Coven to stay alive. Few witches chose the dark path these days, the Midnight Circle was no longer as attractive as it used to be. On the other hand, the light was attractive to others, Jaehyun did not know the members of the Light Coven, he only heard stories about them from his parents.

Signs promised a red moon for the evening of the ritual, and the Dark Coven began preparations for the night early in the morning. Jaehyun was quiet as he let them bathe him and sprinkle his body with rose oil. His mother had already chosen the perfect outfit weeks ago that he would wear on the night and into which Yuta now carefully hid one of his arms. The robe was completely black, true to tradition, with gold-colored patterns lined up only at the edges of the sleeves.

"Are you excited?" Yuta asked as he hurried around the boy.

"I think I am." Jaehyun nodded as Yuta tightened the robe around his body and then fastened it with a thick belt around his waist.

"It's perfectly normal for everyone to get excited before writing their name in the Book of the Beast." Yuta replied while still managing the robe.

"Do you remember your ritual?" Jaehyun asked curiously. Yuta took his hand and sat him down in the chair that stood in front of the mirror.

"Of course, but it's a different experience for everyone." Yuta replied and smiled at the boy. "That makes it so special." he added.

"I know every step of the ritual by heart, yet I'm afraid I'll ruin something." Jaehyun laughed in embarrassment as Yuta began to manage his hair.

"Yeah, that's understandable, I felt the same way… I was afraid I would mix up the cups." Yuta explained. "Blindfolded is not easy to find the right cups to drink from, but we cannot look to the Dark Lord."

"I know." Jaehyun nodded. "Still, I'm so curious about him…"

“Our only job is to worship him and present a sacrifice to him. After the ritual, the Dark Lord will be merciful to you. ” Yuta's words were familiar and Jaehyun nodded again. The Vision showed him some detail of the ritual, but the boy didn't know if he could really believe it. Either way, he'll know everything tonight when he finally write his name in the Book of the Beast.

They continued to prepare in silence, Yuta blew his hair with sweet perfume and fitted huge gold earrings in his ears. He colored his eyelids dark red and when Jaehyun opened his eyes he saw soft glitter on his cheekbones. It was as if he hadn't even seen himself in the mirror, but he knew that was exactly for tonight: he had to be beautiful for the sake of the Dark Lord.

Shortly before midnight, the entire coven was gathered. Taeyong fitted a wreath of black flowers on his head before Yuta carefully covered his eyes with the black blindfold. Jaehyun felt blind, but the rest of his senses seemed to have become much stronger. Taeyong and Yuta were escorted him to the woods together after saying goodbye to his parents and everyone wishing him all the best of luck.

Though Jaehyun couldn't see what surrounded him, he knew that as their footsteps began to slow, that they arrived at the tiny clearing in the middle of the woods, which was rarely surrounded by trees. The circle was set up for the ritual in the middle of the clearing: it was formed with red rose powder and Jaehyun let Yuta help him in the middle of it and sit him down, then carefully arrange his clothes.

"You are beautiful, Jaehyun, the Dark Lord will be very pleased with you." Taeyong said as he took Jaehyun's right hand. "I'll cut your hand, don't be scared!"

"All right." Jaehyun nodded, this was the first step in preparing for the ritual. The touch of the cold blade on his palm forced him to shiver, but he could hardly feel the pain. The dripping of his own blood seemed very loud in the silence of the woods.

"You have the cup with your blood on your right and the wine on your left." Yuta said after enough blood dripped into the cup on the right. Jaehyun nodded as he felt Taeyong begin to bandage the fresh wound on his palm with careful movements. "The Book of the Beast lies right in front of you on the ground, all you have to do is dip your hand in your blood and…"

"I know, Yuta." Jaehyun interrupted. "There won't be any problem, I can do it."

"You're right." Yuta agreed. "You've heard it a thousand times, I just…"

"Everyone's a little excited." Taeyong said after finishing bandaging Jaehyun's hand. "You'll see when the ritual is over, everything will be completely different." he added.

"Yes." Jaehyun said, Taeyong mumbled something to his right and soon felt the characteristic smell of incense.

"The Witching Hour is coming." Yuta said softly. "It's time to leave you alone."

"If you don't hear our footsteps anymore, you can start your ritual." Taeyong said. "See you in the morning."

"Goodbye until then." Jaehyun said, feeling that Yuta might have wanted to tell him something more, but he could almost see in front of him as Taeyong softly grasping his arm and then slowly walking him through the trees back to the Dark Coven.

When he was sure he wouldn't hear the footsteps of either Taeyong or Yuta, he took a deep breath. The scent of incense filled all his senses for a moment, then he held out his right hand forward and dipped his fingers into the cup. He could not smell his own blood from the smell of incense, but it would not have bothered him, he used blood magic before, and had never been afraid by the sight or smell of blood. He gently fingered forward with his left hand, then his fingers settled on the rough pages of the Book of the Beast. He took his hand out of the cup and placed his fingers on the right side of the book in one firm motion. He couldn't see exactly what he was doing, but he knew that the first step of the ritual was over.

He pulled out his right hand, then reached for the left cup with his left hand and slowly lifted it to his lips to drink from it. The wine was sweet and intoxicating, Jaehyun knew they had mixed something else in it, but not exactly knew what it was.

"Jaehyun." he heard him, heard the voice of the Dark Lord all the way to his ear, and held his breath as he put the wine cup back in place. The presence of the Dark Lord was stronger than during any of the other rituals Jaehyun had done before. He could almost feel the Lord sitting behind him and his body flooded with the heat of Hell. "Well the day has come, you have written your name in the Book of the Beast."

"Yes, My Lord." Jaehyun almost whispered, feeling the warm breath of the Dark Lord by his ears and around his neck.

"You're mine now." the Dark Lord whispered and Jaehyun felt a shiver running down his body. "You're different than the others, Jaehyun, they call you the Witch Prince and you have visions."

"Yes." Jaehyn nodded as he felt the Dark Lord's hands creep onto his arms. His touch was also hot, but Jaehyun was still shaking. Yuta's words came to his mind that the ritual was different for everyone. Jaehyun wondered if the Dark Lord had touched him differently than he did with the others.

"I've been waiting for you for a million years, Jaehyun." the Dark Lord whispered as his fingers impatiently pulled the robe apart across the boy's chest, then pulled it off the boy's shoulder. Jaehyun felt the Dark Lord's scorching lips on his neck and he moaned involuntarily. "Yes, let me hear your voice."

"My Lord, I…"

"I accept your sacrifice, Jaehyun." the Dark Lord growled as he breathed soft and hot kisses on the boy's neck and shoulders. "You're mine now, but differently than the other members of the Dark Coven."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, My Lord." Jaehyun moaned, feeling the intoxicatingly sweet taste of the wine even stronger on his tongue this time, even though he had been drinking it minutes ago.

“You still have to wait for me, but I’m going to come for you, Jaehyun. Until then, you are my fiancé. ” the Dark Lord whispered. “I will give you the Night Crown, we will rule over the Dark Coven together and we will be stronger than anyone else. That's what you were born to do, Jaehyun, to be mine. "

"Yes, My Lord, I am yours." Jaehyun agreed and moaned loudly as the Dark Lord bit his shoulder. The pain was not unbearable, in fact Jaehyun felt quite pleasant. And not long after, when the Dark Lord whispered in his ear again, he felt only a pleasant tingling instead of a chilling.

"You are mine and now everyone will know that, my sign is on you." the Dark Lord whispered. “You can’t give yourself to anyone, you have to wait three years for me, Jaehyun, but I’ll come for you. The Dark Coven will reign forever, thanks to you. ”

Jaehyun agreed, but he could not speak, though he knew that the Dark Lord must always want an answer. However, the woods soon fell silent again and Jaehyun missed the Dark Lord’s warm touch on his body. The woods was cold and the boy felt sleepy, so he lay down carefully on the ground and then fell into a deep sleep.

*

"Jaehyun, wake up!" Yuta's kind voice woke the boy and he felt the blindfold slowly slip off his eyes.

"Yuta?" Jaehyun asked softly and opened his eyes. The woods was clear now and as his eyes caught on the Book of the Beast he could perfectly see the bloody imprint of his fingers on the previously blank sheet.

"You performed the ritual perfectly." Taeyong said from the other side of the boy as Yuta helped him sit on the ground. "Everything was fine."

"Taeyong… the Dark Lord said things… I have to talk to my parents." Jaehyun said, but his voice sounded tired.

"The Dark Lord says things to everyone, but you have to keep them to yourself." Taeyong replied in a soft voice. "The ritual belongs only to you and the Dark Lord, Jaehyun."

"But…"

"Let's go back, there's going to be a huge feast in your honor today." Yuta chirped cheerfully as he collected the cups and carefully wrapped the Book of the Beast.

"The Dark Lord mentioned something I had never heard of." Jaehyun said as he rose from the ground with trembling knees.

"Jaehyun, you don't have to tell us the details of the ritual." Taeyong remarked as he stepped closer to the boy to straighten the robe on his shoulder. "What is this?" he asked softly, then touched Jaehyun's shoulder with his fingers.

Curiously, Yuta stepped closer to see what Taeyong's looking at on the boy's shoulder. Jaehyun could not see the sign, but he remembered what the Dark Lord had told him the night before: the sign meant thet he was his and he could not give himself to anyone else.

"This is His mark." whispered Yuta barely audibly. "Jaehyun… let's go back now!" he added a little louder as Taeyong covered the boy's shoulder with his robe in a quick motion. There was no time for more conversation, Taeyong took his arm and took a quick step back to the Dark Coven’s home.

*

Jaehyun let Yuta and Jungwoo help him out of his clothes and help him take a bath. Jungwoo washed his hair as he heard Taeyong talking to someone in a muffled voice outside. He closed his eyes, still thinking of the events of last night, filled with strange warmth. He was happy because his everything is now the Dark Lord’s and if he could believe him, in three years the Lord would come for him.

Jungwoo rinsed his hair with lukewarm water, then Yuta helped him get out of the tub. After drying his body with towels, he was hidden in a soft robe so that he could meet with his parents and their counselors shortly before the feast.

At the meeting, Taeyong sat just beside him and Jaehyun shivered as the boy pulled the robe off his shoulder. He could feel the many pairs of eyes that were nailed to him — they had studied the exact mark, for minutes, before Taeyong finally covered his shoulder again.

"Jaehyun, the Dark Lord has chosen you." his mother said softly and Jaehyun felt he had brought pride to his family.

"You carry His mark, what exactly did he tell you in the ritual?" his father asked.

"He said he had been waiting for me for a million years… that I was born to be his." Jaehyun replied and swallowed hard as he looked at Taeyong. The other boy nodded encouragingly to him to continue. “He said I still have to wait for him, but he will come for me and until then I can’t give myself to anyone else. He called me his fiancé. ”

There was an excited whisper among the counselors, and Jaehyun looked back at Taeyong. The boy looked at him in disbelief, yet admiration. Jaehyun knew that what he said sounded incredible, but the Dark Lord’s mark was on him, he had chosen him and he was happy to sacrifice his whole life to be his.

"The Dark Lord said that the Dark Coven would rule forever." Jaehyun said, looking back at his parents, whose faces shone with happiness. The fate of the Coven was thus assured forever, though they knew they would still have to wait for the Dark Lord to come for Jaehyun, now they were sure that this coven would save them from extinction.

"You saved us, Jaehyun." Taeyong whispered in his ear not long after and smiled.

"Taeyong, there's something else… do you know what the Night Crown is?" the boy asked in a whisper that only Taeyong could hear.

“An ancient legacy of the Dark Covens, I know it’s in Hell according to the legend. Why do you ask?"

"The Dark Lord said he would give it to me." Jaehyun replied in a muffled voice before Taeyong smiled at him even more.

After the feast, everything changed, Jaehyun's parents decided that the boy could no longer participate in the daily life of the coven. They didn’t want to risk the boy, who was now the bride of the Dark Lord, accidentally falling in love with someone else while he waited for the Lord to come for him. Not long after, he moved to a separate apartment area, where Yuta, Taeyong, and Jungwoo continued to help him, but still he felt lonely. The three years the Dark Lord had promised him seemed long and Jaehyun feared that by then too much would change.

*

_2 years later…_

His two birthdays had passed, but Jaehyun was still restless when he remembered what the Dark Lord had promised him. Everything changed, if he had a visions his parents would listen him, but he could not contact anyone else from the coven. Yuta was next to him most of the time, Jungwoo only looked in occasionally, and Taeyong most often only visited the boy with the news. Jaemin was the latest new face he could see around these days, the young boy was always enthusiastic and shared with him all the rumors he had heard in the coven. Jaehyun felt he could only laugh freely in his company.

A late August night came the vision that made Jaehyun unable to fall back asleep. He is sweating hardly so he went out of his room to drink a glass of water. To his surprise, Taeyong and Yuta were talking at the kitchen table.

"Jaehyun, are you okay?" Yuta asked when he noticed the boy. "Why don’t you sleep?"

"I had a vision." Jaehyun replied hoarsely.

"Sit down." Taeyong said and went to the boy to lead him to the table. Jaehyun trembled as Taeyong pulled out one of the chairs and sat him down. By then, Yuta had already filled a glass of water and set it down in front of the younger boy. Jaehyun raised his glass with a trembling hand and swallowed it’s entire contents in a breath.

"Are you better?" Yuta asked in a worried voice.

"Yes." Jaehyun nodded and wiped his mouth. “Taeyong, you need to tell my parents... Someone will come who wants to join the coven. ” he added.

"Are we in danger?" Taeyong asked measuredly.

"No… he's a dark witch like us." Jaehyun replied, but did not add what he had seen yet. The new boy whose arrival he saw in the vision was different from the others. There was something about it that made him different from the others, something that made Jaehyun's knees tremble. He shook his head, he couldn't fall in love with anyone, he was the fiancé of the Dark Lord, what he saw couldn't be a reality. "Yuta, I need to talk to the Dark Lord… please prepare everything for the evening." he added.

"Are you sure you should disturb the Dark Lord with your problems?" Yuta asked quietly.

"I'm His fiancé." Jaehyun replied. "If I don't talk to him, then… then…"

"I'm preparing everything." Yuta said, then took the glass from Jaehyun to refill it with water.

Jaehyun couldn't go back to sleep anymore, he was tired, but he was afraid the Dark Lord would be angry with him — that maybe he knew about the vision, too, and so he needed to talk to him as soon as possible. He could not let the Lord be angry with him, Jaehyun loved the Lord and wanted to do everything for him.


	2. Blood Plum

Jaehyun met his parents early in the morning, Taeyong arranged it all for him. Jaehyun tell them everything about the vision, expect the only detail that he might fall in love with the newest member of the coven. Youngho posed no threat to the coven, he was a dark witch as they were, with the only difference that he had not found his way to the Dark Coven until now. He was freely practiced the dark doctrines, used blood magic, and made sacrifices to the Dark Lord — just as they did, except that Youngho had done all this so far alone and not with a coven behind him for support.

"Are you sure this Youngho is not a threat to us?" his father asked and Jaehyun nodded.

"No, not at all." Jaehyun confirmed what he had said earlier.

"We're always happy for a new face." his mother replied smiling. "The majority makes us stronger."

"I just wanted you to know about it." Jaehyun said, then his parents said goodbye to him and Taeyong led him back to his own house to stay away from everyone again. It was still a few days before Youngho arrived and Jaehyun was prepared to come clean to the Dark Lord by then.

When he got back to his house, he saw that Yuta had already put together everything in a dark wooden basket he would need to be able to talk to the Dark Lord later. Maybe he really shouldn’t have bothered the Dark Lord, as he could only turn to him if he presented a sacrifice or worshiped him. But Jaehyun loved the Lord with all of his heart, always worshiped him and he felt filled with joy becaus of the knowledge that after his next birthday he would be not only his fiancé but his spouse. And then Jaehyun will put his life into the hands of the Dark Lord so that he can chain him to himself and never let him go. He wanted this, with all his heart, to be completely claimed by the Dark Lord.

"Haven't you seen anything else in your vision?" Taeyong asked not long after that day. "You looked so upset."

"I haven't seen anything else." Jaehyun shook his head quickly. “I just… didn’t know if it would be good for a new member to join the coven at this time. You know that the power of the Light Coven is growing and…”

"Don't worry about that, Jaehyun, our fate is in good hands." Taeyong interrupted. "You yourself said that this is what the Dark Lord told you, that you saved the Dark Coven."

"We can't be calm until I'm his spouse." Jaehyun replied quietly. “I’m worried about what if the Dark Lord change his mind? What if he doesn't love me anymore? ”

“Jaehyun…,” Taeyong said quietly, stroking the younger boy’s head gently. “Why wouldn’t he want you? You are wearing His mark.” he added and Jaehyun nodded as long as the sign was on his shoulder he was valuable.

*

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yuta asked as he helped the boy get dressed. The robe he chose was black, adorned with dark red flower petals. Yuta did his best to make Jaehyun look perfect for the evening, hanging a chain of blood-red stones around his neck and earrings of similar stones in his ears. His skin smelled of rose oil and Yuta put the embroidered veil in his hands, which he would have to cover his face with. Jaehyun didn't want to put on a blindfold again, but he promised he wouldn't open his eyes for a minute and that the veil would be enough for now.

"I need to talk to him." Jaehyun said firmly.

“You know we can’t bother the Lord with our little problems. He is busier than us and we are just to worship him. ” Yuta explained and Jaehyun nodded. "But if you feel that only he can help you, you have every reason to turn to him."

"Thank you for preparing everything for me." Jaehyun said. "This is very important to me now."

“Do not doubt that he will come for you. You wear His sign, He has chosen you and love you, more than all of us.” Yuta said in a kind voice.

Not long after, they were walking towards the woods, Yuta carried the basket in his hand wordlessly, which contained all the tools that Jaehyun would need. Jaehyun was excited, but at the same time he was afraid he might anger the Dark Lord, and he didn't want that at all.

Arriving at the usual clearing in the woods, Jaehyun felt his knees tremble as Yuta formed the circle. He watched as his friend slowly placed the four black candles in the center of the circle and lit them one by one, then poured the mixture of wine and trout into a round bowl. When he was done, he held out his hand and helped Jaehyun walk around and then sit down in front of the bowl. Jaehyun trembled even as he sat on the floor as Yuta turned back toward the basket and took out another bowl of rose petals and some purple powder, then lifted one of the candles and lit them. The petals caught on fire quickly and light purple smoke colored the dark night.

"I have to leave you now, I'll be back for you in a few hours." Yuta said and helped Jaehyun put the veil over his head. As the dark veil fell on his head, Jaehyun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Rose petals and some other strong, sweet yet astringent scent hit his nose.

"Thanks for everything." Jaehyun said, but he could no longer see Yuta leaving him alone on the clearing.

For a long time he just listened to the silence of the woods, then reached forward to lift the bowl into which Yuta had filled the trout mixed with wine. He pushed the veil aside until he drank the mixture, but as soon as he put back the bowl in place he quickly put the veil back on and took a deep breath again.

"Dark Lord, please, if you hear me… if you hear me, come to me." Jaehyun said as he waited anxiously. He dreaded the rejection, that the Dark Lord would not want to see him. Long minutes passed and Jaehyun was prepared for the worst, the future suddenly didn’t even seemed so beautiful anymore. If the Dark Lord changed his mind, Jaehyun's life meant nothing.

"Jaehyun." when he heard the voice of the Lord he shuddered and almost opened his eyes, but in the meantime he reminded himself that he could not do so.

"Dark Lord." Jaehyun whispered in a trembling voice and moved his hand a tiny bit, wanting to touch the Lord, his fingers almost tingling to touch him. But it was also forbidden, like so many other things when a witch have the honor to met the Dark Lord.

"We met a long time ago, my dear fiancé." the Lord hummed and Jaehyun shuddered for a moment as he felt the touch of his fingers on his belt. The Dark Lord's touch had always been hot, but as he clasped their fingers, Jaehyun felt as if his whole body was on fire.

"Forgive me for calling you here, but I had to talk to you, My Lord." Jaehyun said and lowered his head under the veil, hoping it would prevent him from opening his eyes. Though he wanted to see the Dark Lord so much, he wanted to look into his eyes so he could tell him that he was only his and no one else's, that he was good and did not give himself to anyone. He wanted to tell him that he has preserved what will be the gift of the Dark Lord and the fulfillment of their marriage. Jaehyun wanted to say that he was well behaved and could not wait for the Lord to claim him in front of the Dark Coven.

"If you need me you can call me anytime, darling, since you're mine and I know you're loyal to me." the Dark Lord said. “I’m listening to you, Jaehyun, even if you can’t see me with your own eyes. Because I’m always there and I see as you doing exactly what I asked you to do two years ago. ”

"I will do everything for you, My Lord, I love you." Jaehyun said sincerely and shuddered again as the veil moved and slipped off his head. He felt the scorching touch of the Dark Lord on his chin now, and Jaehyun tried to close his eyes even more as the Lord raised his head gently with his fingers.

"You are beautiful, my dear, as always." the Lord said. "But you still have to wait for me."

"I know, I just… had a vision that confused me, My Lord. I don't want you to be disappointed in me." Jaehyun replied quietly.

"Why would I be disappointed in you, Jaehyun?" the Dark Lord asked, Jaehyun thought a smile could play on his face now and wished even more that he could open his eyes, but he could not. "Open your mouth!" then the Lord said and Jaehyun obeyed. He did not ask if the Dark Lord did not want to hear what he saw in his vision, because if he had wanted to know, he would have already asked. "You're a good boy, now bite."

Jaehyun didn't know what to expect, but he bit into the round thing placed on his lips.

"Blood plum." the Dark Lord said in a heady voice. "It'll make things a lot easier, Jaehyun." he added. And Jaehyun really felt that way, he felt light and nice. The sweet taste of the blood plum almost made him drunk, but he was still careful not to open his eyes. He felt the blood-red juice of the fruit leave a stain on his lips and the body of the Dark Lord was now closer to him than before.

"My Lord." he moaned, but the next moment he felt the usual heat on his lips. The kiss of the Dark Lord was as if someone had cast an illusion spell on him. Jaehyun didn't move, though he wanted to touch the man, who would soon became his spouse. He wanted to feel the warmth of his skin under his fingers, he wanted to open up to him and tell him to take everything he wanted from him.

The Dark Lord knew it all, Jaehyun didn't have to say it. Jaehyun felt the man's hands loosen his robe while he was still kissing him and all of him shouted that he wanted more. But he could not voice his feelings, he could not demand more from the Dark Lord, he was forbidden. And his robe slowly opened as he felt the touch of the Dark Lord's hot fingers on his uncovered skin. As those hot fingers crawled higher and higher on his thighs, but they stopped just before Jaehyun could moan into the kiss.

"You're a good boy." the Dark Lord repeated as he interrupted the kiss and withdrew his hands. Jaehyun shivered, he felt he was left only in cold without the Dark Lord’s touch. “Now you can prove your loyalty to me, you will see. I know about the vision.” he added in a whisper to the boy's ear.

"I am faithful to you, My Lord." Jaehyun said as a kind of promise. "Only to you, I'll wait for you until you come for me and I'll be completely yours."

"That's what I expect from you, Jaehyun." the Dark Lord said. "Stay such a good boy and you will get your reward." he added, then the woods fell silent again. Jaehyun shuddered, pulling the robe back over himself and carefully opening his eyes. He was alone, slowly touching his lips and still feeling the heat left by the lips of the Dark Lord there.

*

Three days later, Jaehyun nervously waited for Taeyong to arrive with the news. Youngho had already arrived, maybe he was with his parents already to introduce himself and ask their permission to join the coven. Jaehyun watched as Yuta filled tea into a black cup and continued to wait intently as his friend pulled out another cup in case Taeyong arrived soon.

"What's wrong, Jaehyun?" Yuta asked in a soft voice. “I’m starting to worry about that you didn’t tell us something about your vision. Are you sure this Youngho is not a threat to us? ”

"Not for you, but maybe for me he is." Jaehyun replied and lowered his eyes. "I saw my future and Youngho was in it."

"I understand." Yuta nodded and Jaehyun looked up at the boy.

"The signs are showing that I'm going to fall in love with him." Jaehyun said, while the words of the Dark Lord rang in his ears from their last encounter. He had to be a good boy to receive his reward, which was the infinite love of the Dark Lord.

"Maybe what you saw wasn't reality." Yuta tried to reassure the boy. "You said your visions aren't always clear, maybe what you saw is just a possible future that will never happen."

"I had to tell the Dark Lord… but he already knew about it." Jaehyun said in a trembling voice. "Now I have to prove to him that I am loyal to him."

“Of course you’re loyal, that’s not even an issue…” Yuta began, but the next moment someone knocked on the door and soon Taeyong stepped in to join them at the table.

"Like you said, Youngho arrived this morning and asked your parents to let him join us." Taeyong announced. "Your parents gave him permission, and we're holding his joining ceremony tonight."

"Can I take part in it?" Jaehyun asked.

"I don't think your parents would think that's a good idea." Taeyong replied measuredly. “You know fully well that you cannot participate in the common rituals of the coven as long as you wear the mark of the Dark Lord. It would be too much risk. ”

"I have to be there." Jaehyun replied. Perhaps Taeyong was right and Yuta's restless nesting also indicated that it would be better if Jaehyun did not attend the joining ceremony, but the boy ignored him. "My parents are the leaders, how would it look like if their son didn't attend such an important event?" Jaehyun argued and looked Taeyong in the eye first, then looked for Yuta's gaze.

"I'll talk to your parents, the final decision is theirs." Taeyong said after a few minutes of silence. "I can't promise anything."

*

Jaehyun couldn't pull the curtains, so he could only half-see the members of the coven rushing outside. They were getting ready for the ceremony and even from here he could feel how excited everyone was. Jaehyun guessed that the coven was thinking that it is a good sign that a new member had appeared and asked to join. Maybe Youngho’s arrival was really positive, but Jaehyun felt the Dark Lord put him to a serious test. Youngho's appearance was not due to an accident and perhaps only Jaehyun understood that.

"You have to start preparing slowly." Yuta suddenly called the boy, so Jaehyun stepped away the windows.

"Everyone seems to be very excited about Youngho." Jaehyun replied as he turned to his friend.

"Yeah, they seem to have liked him pretty quickly." Yuta nodded.

"Did you meet him?" Jaehyun asked curiously as he followed his friend to the bathroom.

"Just in passing, he was kind." Yuta replied. "He seem to be an easy person to like and he know a lot." the boy added as he began to prepare the bath water.

"What do you mean?" Jaehyun asked, still curious. He knew he shouldn't have taken such a keen interest in Youngho, but he was already feeling attracted to him despite he hadn't even met him in person. Youngho had a strange effect on him, his knees began to tremble only at the thought of the man and Jaehyun knew this was not normal. The Dark Lord wanted to test Jaehyun's allegiance, and there was no doubt about that now.

“He knows spells we’ve never tried before. As he wandered alone and tried to find us, he learned much more about the dark doctrines than we did. But Taeyong talked to him more, maybe you should ask him. ” Yuta said, then stepped behind the boy to help him get out of his robe. “Or maybe it would be smarter if you didn’t ask about him at all. What you said before… ”

“You said maybe it would never happen. The Vision is not always reliable. ” Jaehyun interrupted. "No one has come to join us in the past years, that's why I'm curious." he added to reassure his friend, but Yuta just nodded quietly and they stopped talking about upcoming event.

A few hours later, Taeyong returned with good news, Jaehyun's parents allowed him to attend the ceremony, but he could not stay with the coven at the feast that followed. And it was more than nothing, so Jaehyun just became even more excited for the evening. No joining ceremony had been held for years, Jaehyun could hardly remember what it was like, but he guessed his parents were thinking in a huge ceremony.

Jaemin also joined them as Yuta made the final touches on Jaehyun's exterior. To the only heir of the leaders of the Dark Coven, he had to appear worthy in front of the Coven, but Jaehyun wanted to impressed Youngho as well. He couldn't know what the man knew about him so far, but he wanted to make a good impression in his own way, even if they couldn't exchange a word with each other.

Yuta helpd him to put on a fresh black robe covered with dark blue embroidered flowers almost unnoticed. His hair was dotted with soft waves and Yuta applied only a soft beige color to his eyelids, but his skin almost gleamed in the light of the lamps and candles.

"You can't imagine how handsome and kind Youngho is… he's barely been here a day, but everyone's already loving him." Jaemin explained enthusiastically as he handed the simple gold earrings to Yuta so that the boy could then fit them in Jaehyun's ears.

"Is everyone already loving him?" Jaehyun asked with a faint smile on his face. "This Youngho sounds interesting." he added.

"Oh he sure is intresting." Jaemin nodded, then turned to pick up the hair ornament of blue and black roses that Yuta had previously prepared for Jaehyun. "Jeno says he might even be a consultant, he knows a lot about ancient dark magic."

"Interesting, few know the ancient doctrines." Yuta said thoughtfully as he took the hair ornament from the boy's hand and carefully fitted it to Jaehyun's head.

"How did he learn them?" Jaehyun asked thoughtfully as he examined his reflection. The dazzling beauty of his makeup and robe obscured everything that Jaehyun really was. But on second thought, he didn’t really know who he really was, he just followed his parents ’ instructions to conform to the darkness.

"He mentioned that his parents knew these doctrines better… but I think they died years ago, Jeno and Minhyung could tell you more, he talked to them the most." Jaemin shrugged, but even now he seemed very enthusiastic. "It's a shame you can't stay there for the feast, sometimes they could let you to be out a little more." the younger boy added, a little saddened.

"Jaemin, we've already discussed this." Jaehyun said, lowering his eyes, unable to look at himself. "I only have to wait a year for the Dark Lord, and then everything will be different."

"It feels like this one year never want to pass." Jaemin replied and Jaehyun agreed, but did not voice his thoughts.

"You’re ready." Yuta said, abruptly interrupting the conversation. "The ceremony is about to begin, we better get going." he added as he held out his hand to help Jaehyun get up from his chair.

Jaehyun could no longer tell when he was last at his parents' house because of an important event. A lot had changed in the last two years, but the boy knew that being hidden away was in his best interest. Sudden tingling ran down the line of his spine as he wondered how much he would feel the presence of the Dark Lord today. The ceremony of joining officially to a coven was at least as important as the ritual of someone writing his name in the Book of the Beast, the Dark Lord appreciating all the sacrifices presented to him at those times.

His parents are standing in front of the coven and announced that Youngho would become a full member today as he presented his sacrifice to the Dark Lord. The coven growled enthusiastically at each word, but Jaehyun didn't see much of them. His parents allowed him to attend the ceremony, but they still had conditions. While his parents stood on the podium at the back of their house facing the coven, Jaehyun practically still sat in the house: the podium could be seen from the house’s conservatory, where Jaehyun was occupied between the plants as he’s sitting upright on a black silk covered cushion and dark blue curtains hide him from the other members’ eyes. On his right, Yuta took a seat on a same kind of cushion, and on his left, Jaemin nestled excitedly and stretched his neck to catch a better look of the ceremony. Because of him, they didn’t see much of what was going on the outside either.

"What's the point of this?" Jaehyun asked as he tried to sit dignified and motionless. Sometimes the edge of the curtains fluttered and he could see Taeyong standing to the right of his parents to help lead the ceremony.

"Your parents want the best for you." Yuta said. "Just be patient, the ceremony begins." Yuta added and then Jaehyun's parents stood out of the way.

Because of the curtains, Jaehyun still saw only vague figures, but that was more than nothing. Taeyong began to move on the podium, Jaehyun could only faintly see him pull a low round table to the center of the podium, light candles, and soon a sweet scent filled the air.

"Youngho, the Dark Lord is waiting for your sacrifice." Taeyong said aloud, and the other members of the coven fell into deep silence. Jaehyun was tense, feeling sweat beads on his body under his robe.

"I am ready." Youngho's voice struck Jaehyun's body like a bolt of lightning. The boy shuddered and sighed softly, then closed his eyes for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Jaemin asked in a whisper, a sound of concern in his voice.

"I am." he whispered back to Jaemin, then through the curtain he saw Youngho's huge figure and it caught his breath. The boy's shadow was much bigger than Taeyong's shadow and he held something in his hand: the sacrifice.

"A wolf." Taeyong said as Youngho's shadow laid the wolf's corpse on the circular table. Jaehyun felt the smell of the animal's blood strongly and felt like it made his stomach upset, it never happened to him before.

"I hope it will be a proper sacrifice for the Dark Lord." Youngho replied, then held out one hand to Taeyong. Jaehyun trembled all over his body as he watched Taeyong hand him the knife and Youngho cut into his own palm without a single hiss. Suddenly he could no longer smell the terrible smell of the wolf's blood, only the smell of Youngho's blood pervaded all his senses and it was nice, almost sweet.

Jaehyun felt dizzy, squeezing the long sleeves of his robe tightly, hoping he wouldn't faint. The smell of Youngho's blood made him intoxicated, the whole presence of the man affecting him a way that he could not explain. It was as if the ground had begun to move under his legs and he had fallen deeper and deeper into the darkness. His heart was pounding wildly as Youngho made a vow outside and Jaehyun felt the presence of the Dark Lord more and more strongly after every word he uttered.

He didn't know if Yuta or Jaemin felt the same way he did. The sign on his shoulder began to throb pleasantly and soon felt a familiar heat spread throughout his body. The wind suddenly rose and the curtain that had covered Jaehyun so far from the coven rose at the same time with it. In the next moment Jaehyun looked straight into Youngho's eyes for a moment and saw the fire of Hell burning in him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I finished this chapter sooner that I expected. Hope you liked it :) I don't really know what else to say :)


	3. The Hellbound Heart

Jaehyun trembled as he sat in the bathtub, rubbing his skin crazily that it was already completely red. He didn't dare to close his eyes because he was afraid he would see Youngho's fiery gaze again. The cheerful voices of the feast had been heard even so far, Jaehyun wanted to press his palm to his ear so that he would not have to hear a single voice. Jaehyun could barely remember the end of the ceremony, as if time had ceased to exist after he looked Youngho in the eye. The boy suspected that Youngho's presence in the Dark Coven might be even more dangerous to him than he had guessed before.

"Dark Lord, why are you putting up such a test for me?" Jaehyun asked softly as he continued to rubbing his skin. He felt dirty bcause he looked at Youngho like he could fall in love with him. His knees were still shaking and in vain he trembled, feeling as if his body was on fire.

"Jaehyun, are you okay?" Jaemin's worried voice asked from outside.

"Jaemin, why aren't you at the feast?" Jaehyun asked, turning toward the closed door. He wanted to be alone and he was the only one who had to retreat anyway.

"I brought you food." Jaemin replied. "Are you all right?"

"Taeyong asked you to check on me?" Jaehyun asked as he dropped the sponge into the water.

"Yes," Jaemin replied softly. "I'm going back to the feast, eat a little before you go to sleep."

"All right… and Jaemin, don't worry about me, I'm fine." Jaehyun replied, and Jaemin laughed softly outside.

"If you need anything else, I'll be back in an hour to check on you again." said Jaemin, then Jaehyun heard the younger boy walking away, so he climbed out of the tub. He wiped himself off with quick movements and stepped in front of the mirror in the corner before hiding in his soft robe.

His skin was red in some places and Jaehyun would have been happy if he didn't feel dirty anymore, but even if he felt like that he washed thoroughly, yet it still felt as if the bath hadn't helped anything. He quickly snuggled into his sleeping robe and then left the bathroom. The house seemed even more empty than usual without the presence of Yuta and the others, and Jaehyun felt lonely. The boy had always thought he was patient, but he was afraid he would have a hard time enduring the one more year he had to wait to eventually become the Dark Lord's spouse.

From the window, he could dimly see the lights of the feast despite the curtains drawn in, but he turned his back on the cheerful voices and ate a few bites of the food that Jaemin had left for him on the table. He soon realized, however, that he didn't really hungry, so he finally retreated to his room and hid under the soft blanket. He stared at the ceiling motionless for a moment as Youngho's flaming gaze came to his mind again. He wondered what Youngho might hide, what made him different from the others. Because Jaehyun was sure that Youngho was more than he looked like, he could smell it in his blood and see it in his eyes. He wasn't sure if they'd meet again in the near future, but if he didn't meet with him elsewhere, he'd still see Youngho in his visions.

He turned to his side and looked out the window, the outside light barely coming in through the drawn curtains, but Jaehyun felt he wouldn't be able to fall asleep even that way.

"What kind of thoughts do you have, Jaehyun?" the voice of the Dark Lord asked from somewhere behind him and Jaehyun closed his eyes from reflex.

"Dark Lord?" the boy asked in a shock. This was the first time the Lord had come to him without Jaehyun performing a ritual to call him. Jaehyun swallowed hard, feeling the warmth of the Lord's body behind him, and a minute later the man's strong hands slid to his waist.

"You're restless." the Dark Lord said in a soft voice. "Remember, I see everything, Jaehyun."

"I know, My Lord, and I promise I will behave well." Jaehyun said in a sincere voice as the Dark Lord's hot fingers slid under the blanket.

"I am sure about that." the Lord answered in a contented voice, and Jaehyun hid his face into his pillow to suppress a loud moan as the Lord's hands slid under his sleeping robe.

"I will do my best, My Lord." Jaehyun said in a trembling voice. He felt tears well up in his eyes as the Dark Lord's fingers caressed his thighs first, then slid between his legs and began stroking him with steady movements. "Ah…"

"You're a very good boy, I'm proud of you." the Dark Lord whispered in his ear, then breathed a hot kiss on Jaehyun's neck. The boy gently moved his hips to feel the Dark Lord's touch even better, but he was afraid he had gone too far. The man's touch was soon just a hot memory and Jaehyun lay sweatily in his bed as he panted loudly.

“My Lord, why do you always leave me too soon…” he began, but the presence of the Dark Lord ceased already, as if Jaehyun had only imagined he was there in his bed with him. He moaned in frustration and slowly moved his hips to rub himself against the mattress, but in vain he expected nothing in satisfaction. More tears welled up in his eyes as he tried to imagine the touch of the Dark Lord's hot fingers, but that didn't help either. He knew he wouldn't be satisfied with whatever he was trying to do, so he pulled the blanket over his head and forced himself to fall asleep.

*

Jaemin talked about the feast all morning and Jaehyun began to feel like he was going to have a headache. He couldn’t fall asleep easily the night before, had no dream and had no new vision, he was only restless. He did not mention the visit of the Dark Lord to anyone, it was too intimate to bring it up and as he looked at the others again only Youngho came to his mind.

“Yuta, did you notice that Youngho was missing for a while? Minhyung kept looking for him, I think he’s looking at Youngho like a brother figure. ” Jaemin chirped as Jaehyun sipped his tea quietly.

"I didn't pay attention, Taeyong bored me with all sorts of news all along." Yuta replied, then looked at Jaehyun. "You went to bed early yesterday."

"I was tired." Jaehyun shrugged.

"It would have been better if you hadn't attended the ceremony at all."

"But I had to be there." Jaehyun opposed. "What did you mean Youngho was missing for a while?" the boy finally asked and turned back to Jaemin.

"Well, we haven't found him anywhere for at least a quarter of an hour, but he just got lost between the houses, he doesn't know things here yet." Jaemin shrugged. "Minhyung and Jeno are spending the day with him today, looking around at the area."

"Oh." Jaehyun nodded, and a minute later Taeyong joined them.

"Your parents want Youngho to be their advisor." announced the boy. "It's really amazing how much he knows about ancient dark magic, we're going to take great advantage of his knowledge."

"You could ask what he knows about the Night Crown." Jaehyun said, putting the mug he had held in his hand on the table.

"I told you, Jaehyun…" Taeyong began, but the boy interrupted.

"But I need to know more about it, Taeyong, if the Dark Lord really gives me that crown, I need to know what that means." Jaehyun replied. "You don't care what the consequences will be?"

“I don’t know, we don’t usually question what the Dark Lord says. You should be glad he promised you such a gift. ” Taeyong replied and Jaehyun lowered his eyes. He knew that Taeyong was telling the truth, he should not question what the Dark Lord said to him, but he could not overcome his curiosity.

"You didn't even eat a bite today." Yuta said suddenly before Jaehyun could react. His friend quickly put a plate in front of him packed with fruit and a slice of cherry pie. "Eat, you'll be better off with sweets." the boy added softly, then poured a cup of tea to Taeyong.

*

Jaehyun guessed that Taeyong would only be nervous if he continued to push the subject further about the Night Crown. Just as Yuta wouldn’t have been happy to start talking about Youngho again, so the boy decided not to bring up any of those topics anymore. It was much more easier if his whole body wasn’t on fire when he was only remember Youngho’s eyes. So maybe it seemed a better idea not to bring up the boy’s name anymore and do his best to divert his thoughts from him as well.

"Do you want to read all of these?" Jaemin asked on a rainy afternoon when Jaehyun handed him a list of books he had to bring from his parents' small library.

"Yeah, I've had a lot of free time since I didn't attend the coven’s ceremonies anymore." Jaehyun replied. "You can bring them, right?"

"I am not sure, it's a lot of books, Jaehyun." the younger boy replied, but he folded the paper and sank it into one of his pockets. "Don't tell anyone, but Youngho asked about you." he added then very softly, his voice sounding excited as always.

"What?" Jaehyun asked in confusion and he could already feel the familiar warm tingling in the tips of his fingers.

"He wanted to know everything about you." Jaemin replied. "He would love to meet you, but he understands if your parents won't let you in touch with others, becuase of the whole thing between you and the Dark Lord…"

"I know it's hard to believe even after two years."

“Do you really love him, Jaehyun? The Dark Lord? ” Jaemin asked softly, perhaps hoping that he would not be heard by the Dark Lord. But Jaehyun knew the Dark Lord had ears everywhere, maybe even now he was hiding somewhere in the house watching them.

"Of course I do." Jaehyun replied honestly. He felt his love for the Dark Lord unwavering, but at the same time, when he remembered Youngho, everything was confused. “Just bring the books, Jaemin, okay? As soon as possible before I die in agony here.”

"All right, I'll hurry back." Jaemin nodded quickly, then left Jaehyun alone, who threw himself on one of the couches with trembling knees.

He wanted to know more about Youngho, but he knew it would be impossible to get in touch with him. His parents and friends tried to hide him from everything as if anything could have been gone wrong from an innocent conversation. For the first time, Jaehyun thought that maybe his parents felt too that Youngho was different from the others, because he could get used to the Dark Coven so quickly. That’s why they wanted him to be their advisor, Youngho possessed knowledge that the Dark Coven would not otherwise have been able to acquire. However, Jaehyun could only rely on his books, as Taeyong declined his request to ask Youngho about the Night Crown.

*

Jaehyun was buried in his books for days to come. He didn't pay attention to the news Taeyong had told him over breakfast, didn't deal with anything else, only the crown was in his head and he wanted to know everything about it. The Dark Lord had not visited him again and Jaehyun had felt his own bed cold and unfriendly since that night. He hated himself for being insatiable and longing for more while just needing a little patience until he would have everything he wished for.

Visions sometimes popped up, Jaehyun saw their wedding, but outside of that, he saw Youngho again and again in each picture. It was as if the boy did not want to wear out of his future, not even by force. Jaehyun did not understand why he saw him more and more sharply in each picture and began to fear that he would ruin eveyrthing in the end, that the Dark Lord would reject him and then the Dark Coven would end because of him.

It had been raining for days and Jaehyun was sleeping restlessly, the visions tortured him so much that his head was constantly aching. And on an early fall evening, he saw a vision that projected a terrible future ahead of him. He didn’t have time to tell anyone, he had to go straight to his parents ’ house right away. He left his house alone for the first time in two years. The rain was cold, and Jaehyun took his steps faster, but before he could even reach his parents' house, he collided with someone in the dark.

"Sorry!" he said quickly, but when his gaze met the tall figure he caught his breath and immediately took a terrified step back.

"You are the Witch Prince." Youngho noted, his voice melodic and Jaehyun could already feel the familiar tingling in his fingers as his knees began to tremble. He opened his mouth, but no voice came out of his throat, as if all thoughts had cleared from his head and his gaze inadvertently wandered to Youngho's perfect lips. "I thought you couldn't go anywhere alone." Youngho added, Jaehyun felt the boy's gaze mesmerize him as he looked back at his eyes. He saw the fire of Hell burn in those dark irises and felt some inexplicable force push him towards Youngho. It was as if this unknown force wanted to tell him that it was okay that Youngho was there in the images he saw about the future, that Youngho was really who he belonged to and whom he had to serve for the rest of his life. Jaehyun wished in that moment if it really was that way, he would have given his all to have Youngho kiss him with his perfect lips and embrace him tightly at night. But in this life it was impossible and he was forbidden to feel such things for anyone who was not the Dark Lord.

"I… had a vision, I need to talk to my parents right away." Jaehyun said in a trembling voice. Youngho nodded, then gently grabbed the boy's arm and led him to his parents' house. Jaehyun didn't understand his own feelings, Youngho's touch was like the Dark Lord’s, but he might just have imagined that. He was ashamed of himself and feared that he would not behave the way as the Dark Lord would have expected of him.

"Jaehyun, what are you doing here without Yuta or anyone else?" Taeyong asked nervously as he saw the boy enter his parents' living room, dripping wet because of the rain.

“I had a vision, I had to come here right away, there was no time to wake up anybody” Jaehyun explained.

"You were irresponsible!" Taeyong replied angrily.

"They will attack us!" Jaehyun erupted helplessly and push his wet hair from his eyes. "The Light Coven is much more than we thought."

Taeyong said nothing, just grabbed Jaehyun's arm and dragged him to another room where he could meet his parents. Jaehyun looked back for a moment, Youngho stood motionless at the entrance and almost scorched him with his gaze.

Jaehyun trembled as he recounted what he saw exactly. His mother stroked his back gently, struggling to calm him down as the boy tried to recall as many details as possible. But even if he had wanted to, he could not have denied that he was afraid, for he had seen what the Light Coven was capable of. Jaehyun had no idea they would try to attack them before he and the Dark Lord would marry. But still his vision showed that they don’t have much time left and they will suffer big losses if they don’t act on time.

"Is that all you've seen?" his father asked and Jaehyun nodded. He no longer had the strength to speak again. He was exhausted by the vision, but he knew he would not be able to sleep again. He was confused, because of what he saw and also what he felt in Youngho's presence. He had to warn himself that he was the fiancé of the Dark Lord and could not give in to any temptation. However, Youngho himself was the embodiment of temptation and Jaehyun wanted him somewhere deep in his heart.

"Taeyong, escort Jaehyun back to his house." asked the boy's mother. Jaehyun got up from the chair in which he had been sitting so far with mechanical movements and let the woman hug her once more.

Once they were out in the dark and walking towards Jaehyun's distant little house, the boy felt the air between them became much more tense than it had ever been. Taeyong rebuked him many times, but it was always an upbringing goal, Jaehyun knew the boy just wanted to help him all the time and wanted to protect him.

"Taeyong, are you mad at me?" Jaehyun asked softly, seeing in the dark only the outlines of the other boy.

“Oh am I mad at you? No, Jaehyun, it’s an exaggeration, but what you did…” Taeyong let out a frustrated little voice and then took a deep breath. "Why didn't you wake Yuta and send him for me?"

"I felt like it was just a waste of time…"

"Don't you understand that it is for your benefit that you are locked up?" Taeyong asked angrily as they arrived at the house and tore open the door with a determined gesture, then ushered the younger boy into the hallway. “Don’t you really understand that if you betray the Dark Lord, it will have serious consequences? It's not just about you now, it's about the Dark Coven, your family.”

“Why would I betray the Dark Lord? I love him, Taeyong... I love him, I would never betray him... ”Jaehyun replied, trembling almost hysterically.

"I saw how you looked at Youngho at the joining ceremony when the curtain flared." Taeyong replied softly. "All I'm saying is you shouldn't love him, but you know that very well."

“Taeyong…,” Jaehyun began, but the boy just shook his head.

“You can lie as much as you want, but I know you the best, Jaehyun, and I want you good. Forget Youngho. ” Taeyong said seriously, then his gaze softened. "Go back to sleep now, we'll discuss the details tomorrow." the boy added, then took Jaehyun by the hand and ushered him into his room. Jaehyun felt uncomfortable as his friend watched him go to bed and cover him. And Taeyong sat there on the edge of his bed for at least another hour until he was sure Jaehyun had fallen asleep.

*

Jaehyun woke up to a soft knock and it took him a few minutes to realize someone was knocking on the window, not the door. He climbed sleepily out of his bed and carefully pulled back the curtain to see who it might be. When he saw Youngho's familiar flaming gaze without thinking, he reached for the door handle and opened it.

"Youngho?" the boy asked, as if the other boy had been just a mirage or just the product of his imagination. They shouldn't have met, Jaehyun could almost hear Taeyong's words in his head, but Youngho's presence had such a force on him that he felt he could never say no to the older boy who appeared in his window.

"Good morning, my prince." Youngho smiled at him and Jaehyun felt heat pour over his whole body.

"I'm not really a prince." Jaehyun laughed in confusion.

"Yet you look just like a prince, a crown on your head would look nice." Youngho was still smiling. "Are you okay? You looked upset the night before when we ran into each other. ”

"We shouldn't meet." Jaehyun looked away.

"Because of the Dark Lord?" Youngho asked and Jaehyun looked back at him. "Open your mouth!" the boy said in a soft voice and Jaehyun obeyed. A minute later, he could smell the sweet smell of blood plum in his nose as Youngho lifted the familiar fruit to his mouth. "Bite." Youngho said encouragingly and Jaehyun did so without any questions.

The sweet taste of the blood plum was exactly the same as the last time the Dark Lord himself offered the fruit to the boy. The whole moment was just like the night the Dark Lord kissed Jaehyun. Aside from being early in the morning and Youngho’s flaming gaze being the only thing Jaehyun saw, everything else seemed blurred outside that pair of eyes.

"I like it." Jaehyun said softly as Youngho pulled the fruit from his lips. "I mean the blood plum."

"I guessed." Youngho smiled one-sidedly. “A little…” he began, but didn’t finish, instead raising one hand and Jaehyun felt his fingers touch softly to his lips.

“Your touch…” Jaehyun began, feeling as if someone had been put a spell on him. "…is like his." he whispered almost to himself as he thought about the Dark Lord and as he looked into Youngho's eyes the boy knew he understood what he was talking about.

"It’s impossible, my dear Jaehyun, it’s impossible." Youngho replied, then withdrew his hand, but Jaehyun could still feel his hot fingers on his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I am actually quick with the updates...?  
> Well, I am working on the next chapter but it isn't come together easily. I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyways :)  
> I'll be back as soon as possible :)


	4. Dark Baptism

Jaehyun didn’t tell anyone that Youngho had visited him that morning. He didn't even tell anyone that Youngho was definitely hiding something. It wasn’t normal for Youngho’s touch to be exactly like the Dark Lord’s, but Jaehyun felt that no one would have believed him if he had told anyone what he thought. The fact that Youngho may have come from Hell seemed ridiculous, they had never been seen anyone like him before, and Jaehyun knew fully well that the natives of Hell did not just come into the world of the mortals for fun. If Youngho did come from Hell, as Jaehyun had guessed, he would have had to find out on his own if it is true without any help, but for the time being, there were other problems he had to deal with.

Jaehyun continued to be buried in his books most of the day as his parents and Taeyong tried to prepare for the Light Coven’s attack, which according to the boy’s vision could happen at any moment. They soon had to realize that the Light Coven’s silence in recent years might have seemed an ominous sign to them, but they didn’t address it. Jaehyun knew that the reason for this was mostly that the Dark Coven was afraid of extinction. Jaehyun’s entire teen years were about trying to make the Dark Coven as strong as possible with his parents. And his twentieth birthday had just turned around their fate, though Jaehyun still felt that they’re weak. And a weak Dark Coven didn't stand a good chance against a Light Coven that had become even stronger in the meantime.

"Can I help you?" Jaemin asked one afternoon as he refilled Jaehyun's mug with tea. Instead of Yuta, Jaemin was now his constant companion in solitude, but the boy didn’t mind, Jaemin’s cheerful nature eased a bit of the stress that surrounded him these days.

“Unless you know something about the Night Crown, you can’t help. These books are full of very interesting information, but the Night Crown is not mentioned anywhere, as if it were really just a legend. ” Jaehyun replied, then sighed in frustration and closed the book he had flipped until now.

"Actually, I may be able to help." Jaemin said softly, as if afraid of someone hearing his voice in the empty room. "I wouldn't dare say that before Yuta, but Youngho certainly knows something about it." Jaemin added, almost in a whisper.

"Jaemin, I can't meet him." Jaehyun replied quietly and only felt even more frustrated. Of course, that Youngho knew something, if Jaehyun's intuition was true and Youngho was really born in Hell, he could have known even more of things that had to do with the Night Crown.

"And if we… solve it somehow?" Jaemin asked as he looked for the boy's gaze.

“Would we solve it? I mean, who?” Jaehyun asked in confusion, not understanding what exactly the younger could think.

"Me, Jeno, Minhyung and Donghyuck." Jaemin replied, then smiled. "I have an idea."

"I’m listening." Jaehyun nodded curiously.

“Dark Baptism. Yours." Jaemin said in a cheerful voice. "It is time for you to renew your Baptism."

"You're smart and very cunning." Jaehyun replied after a few minutes of silence, then got up from the table and hugged the younger boy.

*

"Has it just occurred to you to renew your Baptism?" Yuta asked as he washed Jaehyun's hair in the bathroom. “Your parents are very busy, but I can ask Taeyong to talk to them about it. It was a long time ago that any Dark Baptism was held in the coven. ” he added, then gently rinsed the shampoo from the boy's hair.

"I have so few opportunities to talk to the Dark Lord and the Dark Baptism is also a good time to do so." Jaehyun replied enthusiastically. "I miss him."

"It's completely natural." Yuta replied as he dried Jaehyun's curls with a towel. "Jaehyun… how does it feel to love him?"

"Oh… well… it is so hot." Jaehyun replied, and he and Yuta began to laugh. "I can't put it any better way, when he touch me… it's like feeling the fire of Hell on my skin and I wish he would never let me go."

"You don't have to wait long for him anymore." Yuta assured. "I'm just jealous that someone loves you that way."

"You and Taeyong…?" Jaehyun asked as he turned to look at his friend.

“Taeyong is very busy with the coven’s affairs. Your parents trust him and entrust him with more and more tasks. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to complain, I’m very proud of him. We just don't really have time for each other lately. " Yuta replied honestly. "Sometimes I'm not even sure if he still loves me at all."

"Don't say that, Yuta, I'm sure he loves you." Jaehyun replied. “Just because of my vision, everything is confused now. My parents don’t want to wait without a strategy until the Light Coven attack us. ”

"I know." Yuta nodded. "What would you like to wear for the Baptism?" he finally asked to divert the subject. Jaehyun guessed it wasn't easy for him to talk about Taeyong under the circumstances. Jaehyun felt it, since he, too, missed the closeness of the Dark Lord or Youngho every single minute. It had been difficult to decide who ever since he knew that Youngho's touch was exactly the same as that of the Dark Lord.

Jaehyun would have given anything to find out what Youngho was hiding, but he was sure it would come at a high price. He could not betray the love of the Dark Lord, but if Youngho really knew anything about the Night Crown, he had to turn to him and for that it was necessary to carry out the Dark Baptism and the feast after that.

*

"I think your parents are even happy that you want to renew your Dark Baptism now." Jaemin explained the next afternoon as Jaehyun waited for Yuta to arrive and begin preparing for the evening. "They say it also increases our strength when the Light Coven attacks us."

"Did they tell you anything else?" Jaehyun asked curiously. Ever since he told his vision, he felt like his parents and Taeyong were left him out of everything. He couldn’t blame them for it, he was never of much help to them when it came to developing a strategy, but he hoped they might still be looking for him.

“No, but Taeyong returned with bad news last week. Several deer and stag were killed near our borders. The corpses were left behind, clearly by witches. ” Jaemin replied, in his eyes Jaehyun could see that he was afraid and he would have preferred to just hug him and tell him there wouldn’t be anything bad and he would protect him. "Taeyong said this was a message from the Light Coven, they could camp somewhere nearby, waiting for the right moment to attack."

"I thought they didn't use blood sacrifices." Jaehyun replied.

“They don’t. But what do you think made them more powerful? There is always a price for that. ” Jaemin replied wisely and Jaehyun agreed. "Power always comes at a price."

"I know, you're right." Jaehyun nodded.

“Back to tonight, Jeno, Minyhung and Donghyuck will also help. Minhyung has already spoken to Youngho. ” Jaemin said caringly. "He said that he will be able to tell you a lot."

"Really?" Jaehyun asked, trying to control his feelings. The mention of Youngho's name began to tremble throughout his body almost immediately. "I hope he meant it…"

"You can be sure. He wants to help you. ” Jaemin replied, but soon Yuta arrived and could no longer talk about the details.

Jaehyun didn't talk much during his preparation, he felt that Yuta's thoughts were going somewhere else too and maybe he couldn't lie to him anymore anyways. Yuta was his first true friend, but unfortunately he knew he would have told Taeyong everything because of the boy's anxious nature. Nor could it be ruled out that Taeyong might already have known in advance that he had some ulterior motive behind the Dark Baptism.

Yuta just hid the boy in a simple black silk robe after his bath, then spread a black lace hemmed cloak over his shoulder. This time they didn’t use any jewelry and hair ornaments, but Jaehyun didn’t mind.

Shortly before midnight, accompanied by Yuta and Jaemin, Jaehyun set off for the lake where baptisms were traditionally held. Candles had been set up along the path leading there before, and each burned persistently in the dark. Jaehyun's thoughts swirled as he prepared inside that what he was doing today might really could count as a betrayal. He hoped to himself that the Dark Lord would not be so angry with him. Jaehyun was not afraid of him, he loved the Lord and even if he was watching him now, he knew long ago what his fiancé was up to.

Members of the Dark Coven had already gathered around the lake by the time Jaehyun and the other two boys got there. Even around the lake, only the lighted candles gave some light. Taeyong wore a black ornate coat and waited at the edge of the lake, the Book of the Beast resting in his hands, looking at Jaehyun with a waiting look. The boy hoped his friend couldn’t read anything from his gaze, it was getting harder and harder to lie to him too. The next minute, Yuta helped off his cloak and Jaehyun trembled and stepped in front of Taeyong. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Jaemin was pulling back to his friends, even now he wasn't sure everything would go smoothly later.

"Jaehyun, are you ready to renew your Dark Baptism?" Taeyong asked aloud and looked into the boy's eyes.

"Yes, I'm ready." Jaehyun nodded firmly as Yuta stepped beside Taeyong, holding a black bowl in his hand.

“You were born in the Darkness and the Darkness will always be your home. Are you ready to testify again and offer your soul to the service of the Dark Lord? ” Taeyong's voice was melodic as he dipped his fingers into the bowl Yuta held next to him. Jaehyun didn't know whose blood was in the bowl, but at that moment it didn't matter, it was just part of the ceremony.

"I am the Dark Lord’s." Jaehyun's response came as Taeyong touched his fingers to his forehead.

Trembling ran down the boy's body, the presence of the Dark Lord almost knocked him off his feet. There was a weak wind as Taeyong leaned close to him and kissed his cheek, then waved his hand at the lake. Jaehyun looked around, but could barely see the faces of the coven members as he took a step toward the lake. His body seemed to be in flames and, among the shadows, he hoped to see the Dark Lord. He wanted to see him, even if he knew he was forbidden to look at him. But his eyes seemed to be automatically looking only for Youngho, when he saw his tall figure in the dark, it seemed as if he, too, was on fire. Jaehyun looked him in the eye as he walked into the lake in slow movements. He could hardly feel the cold touch of the water, but he closed his eyes before he was submerged.

"Jaehyun, you're loyal to me, right?" The creepy voice of the Dark Lord made the boy open his eyes under the water. But he saw nothing but infinite darkness and felt that perhaps the sound was just an illusion.

"You were born in the Darkness and you are mine, you will be mine forever." Jaehyun heard no more words and a minute later found himself coughing up water on the lake shore. He couldn't remember when he came up to the surface of the water or how he got ashore.

"You have renewed your Baptism, Jaehyun, it is time to celebrate." Taeyong smiled at him as Yuta spread his cloak over his shoulder.

"Tha-Thank you." Jaehyun replied in a trembling voice.

“Your parents allowed you to be there for the feast. I do not agree with them, but we will wait. Yuta will take you home to change. ” Taeyong said and Jaehyun could hardly wait to be in dry clothes. However, with his gaze he was looking for Youngho in the dark crowd and when he finally met his gaze Jaehyun again forgot to take a breath. However, due to Yuta and Taeyong, the moment was soon interrupted and a few minutes later Jaehyun was already waiting in his house to finally change his wet clothes to dry ones.

The boy couldn't concentrate, all that he kept in mind was that he was going to talk to Youngho soon. It didn’t seem like the best idea to be alone with the other boy, but Jaehyun was aware that only Youngho had the answers to his questions. He had to take risks in order to know more. He knew fully well that the Dark Lord might not like his current behavior, maybe he could punish him for what he was doing now, but he still had to do it. All his limbs trembled even as he walked to the feast accompanied by Yuta. He heard his parents talking to him when he arrived, but he didn't really understand a word. The presence of Youngho and the Dark Lord almost fused and was so strong that Jaehyun felt he could not breathe. He gripped the armrests of his chair and tried to control the trembling and the many inexplicable feelings he had. Youngho sat far away from him, but Jaehyun felt he could only look at him alone, the rest of the coven just seemed like a blurred shadow in the darkness.

"Jaehyun, are you okay?" Jaemin asked in a worried voice as he sat down next to the boy. Jaehyun turned his head slowly toward him and it felt like that the strange trance he had felt locked in until then had finally broken.

"Of course, everything is fine." the boy nodded.

"Drink a little." Jaemin said and the elder watched as the boy filled an empty glass with wine for him. Jaehyun did not refuse the drink, the wine was pleasantly sweet and soothed his nerves.

“Youngho…” Jaehyun began, but could not finish what he had want to say.

"It's up to you when you want to see him, we've prepared everything." Jaemin smiled enthusiastically.

"Are you sure it would be safe?" Jaehyun asked so softly that he was afraid the younger boy might not have even heard.

"You can trust me, I control everything." Jaemin nodded firmly. "Yuta would kill me anyway if he found out what we did." he added, blinking a little nervously.

"I'm afraid I won't be here for long, too many things are swirling in my head at once." Jaehyun replied.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jaemin asked in a sudden worried voice.

"Yes." the other boy nodded. Jaehyun guessed that no one but him would probably feel the presence of the Dark Lord so intensely. This was apparently because Jaehyun was the fiancé of the Lord and their relationship was so close and intimate that it made the boy feel at the events and feasts of the Dark Coven that the Lord was really there with them. Jaehyun didn't know exactly where the Dark Lord was watching from his every move, but he shivered at the thought of someone watching him every minute. He was actually excited that the Dark Lord was watching him even in his most intimate minutes and wished the man would visit him in his bed again. Jaehyun shook his head suddenly, again felt he is far too impatient and perhaps insatiable.

He suddenly began to feel warm and found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the celebration. Whoever came to him he just smiled at them, thanked them for coming to him, but he couldn't get into more serious conversations.

"How much wine did you drink?" Taeyong asked as he sat down next to the boy.

"Not much." Jaehyun said and pushed the glass away from him.

"Your eyes are blurred, are you tired?" Taeyong asked in a worried voice as he leaned closer to the boy.

"Yes, I believe I am." replied the younger. "I'm telling Jaemin to escort me back."

“Yuta can escort you back, I’ll find him for you,” Taeyong said, but Jaehyun grabbed the boy’s arm before he’s getting up from his chair.

"No, I want Yuta to have a good time today." Jaehyun replied. "It would be the best actually if you would have a good time with him." he added.

"What are you talking about?" Taeyong asked as he looked at the boy.

"You don't have much time for each other, do you?"

"I don't think we should talk about this."

"Taeyong, Jaemin can escort me back." Jaehyun said in a more determined voice and was relieved when Taeyong's gaze softened. "I'm tired as soon as I get home I go to bed. "

"All right." Taeyong nodded. "Go home and sleep, we will have a lot to discuss tomorrow." he added.

"See you in the morning." the boy nodded.

Jaehyun said goodbye to his parents and everyone who confronted him as Jaemin escorted him to the house. They walked in silence in the dark for minutes, Jaehyun's knees trembling at the thought that he might soon be alone with Youngho.

"How much time will I have?" Jaehyun asked as Jaemin ushered him into the house.

"The feast will last for hours." the younger replied. "Youngho leaves for the woods in a few minutes, it's safest for you to meet there."

"All right." Jaehyun nodded. "Where are the others?"

“Jeno and Minhyung will be waiting for you at the edge of the woods as we discussed. Donghyuck and I will go back to the feast, we will do our best to make sure no one notices that Youngho is missing. ” Jaemin explained the details of the plan. “If you could ask him everything you wanted, Jeno and Minhyung would escort you back to the house. There won’t be any problem, you'll see. "

"Yes, I hope so." Jaehyun nodded. In the house, Jaemin helped him change into a pleasantly thin robe that was easier to move in. And not long after, he helped Jaehyun climb out of his bedroom window and leave the window open a bit for him when he get back.

*

Jaehyun approached the edge of the woods with quick steps. He felt the watching eyes of the Dark Lord on himself, yet he tried to stay calm. He had questions and wanted answers, but he already knew that it wasn’t just the Night Crown that he would ask questions about. He wanted to know everything about Youngho, whether the boy really came from Hell, and whether he felt the same way Jaehyun did when they were close to each other. He was afraid of the answers he would get to his questions, he was restless and feared that he would disappoint the Dark Lord. But he reassured himself that if he had not liked his behavior he would have stopped him, he alone had power over Jaehyun.

"Youngho is waiting." Minhyung said as Jaehyun reached the edge of the woods.

“You just have to go a little further. We will wait here nearby. ” Jeno said and Jaehyun nodded trembling.

"Thanks." he said softly, then entered the trees.

Leaning against a thick-trunked tree, Youngho waited for him, and Jaehyun stopped abruptly when he saw his tall figure. He could no longer control the constant trembling of his body, but when Youngho looked straight at him his body was flooded with heat. Jaehyun smiled involuntarily, then took a few uncertain steps forward. Youngho smiled back and stepped away from the tree.

"I heared you have questions." Youngho said and Jaehyun's fingers began to tingle pleasantly at his voice.

"They say you know the dark doctrines better than anyone else." Jaehyun replied quite softly. "There's something that won't let me down and I think only you can answer my questions."

"I’m listening." Youngho replied, then came even closer to the boy. Jaehyun once again felt that inexplicable force like the last time, that whispered to him that it was okay to love Youngho. Jaehyun did not understand all this and feared that Taeyong's words might become true, and if Jaehyun betrayed the Dark Lord, he would risk the entire coven’s life.

"Do you know anything about the Night Crown?" Jaehyun asked as he did everything he could to control his feelings. He would have preferred to touch Youngho's arm to pull him close and kiss him.

"Why are you interested in the Night Crown?" Youngho asked back. "You may be a member of the Dark Coven, Jaehyun, but you should know that things in Hell are still a secret even to you."

"You are also a member of the Dark Coven." Jaehyun replied. "You did join us, or was there some other reason behind your joining?"

"There were several reasons." Youngho replied, but did not elaborate. Jaehyun was confused, but he was sure Youngho was really different from the others. “The Night Crown is guarded in Hell, whoever will have that crown will become the most powerful person in Hell and in the mortal’s world. They say whoever is wearing the crown will gain a destructive force that will bring the Doom and the rise of the Dark Coven. ” explained Youngho.

"The Dark Lord wants to give me the crown." Jaehyun said honestly.

"Because he sees his future in you." Youngho replied in a soft voice and raised his hand, then gently stroked the boy's face. Jaehyun stifled a moan as he bit his lip. With a single touch of Youngho he felt his skin start to blaze, and the tingling in his fingers became even more intense. Jaehyun could see the boy leaning closer to him, he could feel his hot breath on his face and his lips were so close that Jaehyun could almost feel the fire on his own. He wanted to tell Youngho to kiss and embrace him, there in that minute and forget everything he had before. Jaehyun wanted to be Youngho’s. His heart pounded wildly, his body wanted Youngho, and his heart cried out that he loved him.

Jaehyun slowly took a step back and as Youngho's fingers no longer touched his skin he was suddenly shivering.

"You came from Hell, right?" Jaehyun asked as he looked into the boy's eyes. “You are different from the others, the other members of the coven may not have noticed, but I did. Your blood smells different, your gaze… ”

"From Hell?" Youngho asked with a smile. "Interesting thought."

"I'm right, I know." Jaehyun replied in a more determined voice.

"You saw me in your future, didn't you?" Youngho asked suddenly and Jaehyun looked at him in surprise. He was sure he hadn't told anyone except Yuta about the details he saw in his visions, but Youngho still knew.

"You couldn't be there." Jaehyun replied in a quieter voice again. "I will be the spouse of the Dark Lord, we cannot have a shared future, Youngho."

"Well, we'll see." Youngho replied and smiled again. "Will you accept the Night Crown?" he asked after some silence. Jaehyun realized he didn't really understand anything about Youngho. Just as he did not understand the strange attraction between them, so he did not understand the boy's entire presence. Why did he just show up, why did he wanted to join them right now? Youngho could have spent years alone, but now he was here and Jaehyun felt like he had turned his whole life upside down.

"I have to accept it." Jaehyun replied. "I love the Dark Lord, he is good for me and chose me…"

"If the Dark Lord told you that you were mine from now on, what would you do?" Youngho asked and took another step towards Jaehyun. "What would you do if the Dark Lord gave you to me?"

"Then I would be yours." Jaehyun replied softly sincerely, but it seemed impossible for the Dark Lord to say something like that. “Who are you, Youngho? What are you hiding? ” the boy finally asked, but Youngho's fiery gaze was indecipherable. Yet Jaehyun found it exciting that Youngho was so different from anyone he had ever met before.

"Do you want to know my secrets?" Youngho asked, leaning close to the boy to whisper in his ear. "You have to give me so much more than that, Jaehyun." he added and Jaehyun closed his eyes, Youngho's voice for a moment was exactly the same as the voice of the Dark Lord. His knees began to tremble again and he wanted Youngho to touch him, caress his skin and kiss him until Jaehyun could no longer breathe.

“I will give you whatever you want...” Jaehyun whispered in fascination, though he knew that what he was saying would betray the Dark Lord. But Youngho's voice was the voice of the Dark Lord's and Jaehyun couldn't say no to him.

"Then accept the Night Crown." Youngho replied and suddenly darkness fell on the woods. The stars disappeared from the sky and Jaehyun couldn't remember how he got back to his room, but when he woke up in his own bed later that night he was sure that Youngho's secret was much more complex than he first thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Finished this chapter as well, hope you liked it :) hopefully there isn't much mistakes and you kind of get where the story is going... ;)  
> Also thank you so much for the comments and kudos you all gave me until now :)


	5. Exorcism

Jaehyun didn’t wake up in his own bed, yet for some reason he was calm and not at all scared of being in a foreign environment. The sheets were pleasant to the touch, and Jaehyun looked around carefully at the unknown room where he was. Apart from the bed, there was only one object left in the dark-painted walled room: a crown resting on a podium right in front of him. Jaehyun slowly pulled the blanket off himself and soon realized he wasn't wearing his usual sleeping robe. This robe he was wearing now was much shorter than what he was used to and the black fabric was adorned with beautiful golden patterns. However, the boy did not have time to deal with this, because as he looked at the crown he felt as if it had called him. He could almost hear as it is whispering his name and Jaehyun's bare feet soon reached the marble floor, but he didn't feel it cold.

With a foggy look, he walked closer to the small podium and stopped straight in front of the crown. The crown wanted to be weared, quite precisely it wanted Jaehyun to wear it - it was as if it had its own will. And the boy raised both hands to touch the crown, but at that moment warm palms covered his eyes and he caught his breath.

"Jaehyun, do you like your crown?" the Dark Lord asked in a melodic voice close to his ear.

"Dark Lord." Jaehyun swallowed hard as his hands involuntarily fell back to his body. "This is mine?" he asked quite softly.

"This is the Night Crown, I told you I would give it to you." the man replied, Jaehyun could almost hear him smiling, even though he could not see his face. The boy wondered if the Dark Lord was angry with him for turning to Youngho because of the crown. Did the Lord know what they were talking about there in the woods?

"I like it." Jaehyun said a minute later. "I want to wear it if you think I’m worthy enough, My Lord."

"Of course you are, the time will come soon when you could wear it." the Dark Lord replied. "When you are finally mine, I will crown you myself with it." the man added as a promise.

"I look forward to the day, My Lord." Jaehyun said, wishing they could be even closer together. The presence of the Dark Lord was strong, Jaehyun felt the usual pleasant heat slowly penetrating every little corner of his body. His fingers tingled pleasantly and he tried his best to be able to control himself. He wanted to touch the man, he wanted to turn around so he could kiss him. Jaehyun wanted more and more as there was less and less time back from waiting.

"I know how impatient you are, Jaehyun." the Dark Lord whispered in his ear and lowered his hands. Jaehyun's eyes were closed, but he would have done anything to open them. He already missed the man's touch and took a small, hesitant step back, hoping that the Lord might touch him again. He could feel the heat of the man's body behind him and the way his back touched his hard chest. A pleasant tingling ran along his spine as the Lord's hot fingers touched his neck.

"Forgive me, My Lord, but I can't think of anything but you and the way you touch me." Jaehyun confessed in a trembling voice and lowered his head.

“I’m sure you don’t just think of me like that, Jaehyun. After all, there is Youngho.” said the Dark Lord as his hot breath tickled the boy's neck.

"Youngho doesn't matter." Jaehyun replied, wishing that this statement was not a lie. The Dark Lord suddenly grabbed both of his arms and turned the boy toward him, then kissed him wildly. Jaehyun's knees trembled at the touch of the man's hot lips, but he still wanted more. "I love you." he said between the hot kisses and his words sounded sincere. Jaehyun was confused, but he knew for sure that his love for the Dark Lord was real.

He found himself in the bed again, the touch of the sheet pleasantly familiar under his skin, and the warmth of the Dark Lord's body was as close as ever. He shivered with excitement as the man stroked his skin where the robe covered nothing of it. He moaned loudly as the man's hot lips covered his neck with kisses this time. The Dark Lord impatiently tore apart his robe and Jaehyun suddenly felt very vulnerable. He was born in the Darkness, yet trembled as he realized that the Dark Lord had certainly looked at his body with his feral eyes. Jaehyun wanted to open his eyes, he wanted to look at him, but he couldn't. Instead, he grabbed the sheets and tried to control himself as much as he could.

The Dark Lord's hot lips slowly covered his chest with flaming kisses and Jaehyun moaned so loudly that it almost echoed in the room. He didn’t know if the Dark Lord had said anything because he couldn’t concentrate on anything but his own pleasure. He gripped the sheets so tightly that he was sure his fingers were already whitening. He panted loudly and in the next moment felt a slight pain around his hips. It took a moment for him to realize that the Dark Lord had bitten and sucked on his skin, and his body trembled again and again as the man continued to torture the same spot.

Jaehyun didn't recognize his own voice, he moaned so loud again and maybe said something, but he was sure it didn't make any sense. The Dark Lord's lips soon disappeared from his body and Jaehyun whimpered in confusion.

“Please don’t stop...” he began in a pleading voice, but the sentence drowned again as the familiar hot fingers of the Dark Lord stroked his thigh.

"Do you want more, Jaehyun?" the Dark Lord asked softly, but the boy was unable to speak again. He nodded and felt himself blush, he always wanted more. He didn't dare think that the Dark Lord would be merciful to him, but when he felt the man's long fingers penetrate him, he almost screamed in delight. "Open your eyes!" the Lord whispered as he moved his fingers at a comfortable pace in Jaehyun.

"I can’t, it is forbidden" Jaehyun replied, panting.

"I want you to open your eyes and look at me." the Dark Lord said and Jaehyun knew he would not be able to say no to him again. He slowly opened his eyes at last, for all his life he had been taught not to look into the eyes of the Dark Lord.

"Young-Youngho?" he asked softly as he realized a minute later who was looking back at him, but soon he just moaned again because the boy's fingers were still inside him.

"You like what you see, don't you?" Youngho asked with a smirk on his face, then leaned closer to the boy and kissed him wildly. Jaehyun whimpered in the kiss and let go of the sheets, then slide his trembling fingers into Youngho's hair and pulled him even closer. Youngho kissed him so deeply that it seemed almost impossible as he pulled his fingers out of him. Jaehyun moaned in frustration, already missing Youngho's skillful fingers, but a moment later the man rubbed his hips against him in an excruciatingly slow motion. Jaehyun whimpered in the kiss again as Youngho rubbed his hips to his own with steady movements and the younger boy inadvertently opened his legs even wider.

“Please, please,” Jaehyun begged as Youngho pulled away from him a little and began to laugh while panting.

“I love seeing you like that. I will ruin you even more. ” Youngho promised as he pressed a kiss to the boy's neck. "You're going to beg me to claim you again and again."

"I'm already begging," Jaehyun moaned. “Please, I need you. Claim me. ” he added softly, but Youngho stopped and Jaehyun looked up at him in vain with a hazy look of desire.

"You want me to fuck you, right?" Youngho laughed softly as he whispered in his ear. “I won’t fuck you until we get married. I need a virgin fiancé according to tradition and so far you have preserved your virginity, my dear Jaehyun.”

*

Jaehyun was startled in his own bed, sitting up sweaty, panting, and made a frustrated little voice as he felt how wet his bed was under his body. Yuta didn't ask him what had happened, just quietly helped him get out of his almost completely ruined sleeping robe and helped him into the bath. Jaehyun couldn't gather his thoughts, trying to get what he saw out of his head, but he was sure he was in Hell in his sleep. Was it a dream at all that he saw? Or a vision? Everything was so real, Jaehyun could still feel the touch of the Dark Lord’s (or Youngho’s?), his fingers on his skin, the kisses he left on his body. The boy glanced carefully at his own hips and saw the purple scar left by the teeth of the Dark Lord (or Youngho?). From this he concluded that whatever he went through was not a dream. It seemed an impossible thought, but Jaehyun believed that the Dark Lord and Youngho were the same thing. But even that didn’t explain why Youngho joined the coven, if he really was the Dark Lord… and why no one but Jaehyun felt that he is different from any other witch?

"Taeyong will come for you in half an hour." said Yuta, tying the fresh robe around the boy's body he had chosen for Jaehyun to wear today. "I think the Light Coven is already closer to us than we suspected, they could attack at any moment." he added.

"This is not good news." Jaehyun replied softly, his voice a little hoarse.

"Are you okay?" Yuta asked in a worried voice, but Jaehyun just shook his head.

"Of course, I'm a little confused." Jaehyun replied honestly and lowered his eyes. „Youngho…”

"Jaehyun, you shouldn't think about him at all." Yuta interrupted. “If you fall in love with someone now, only you will be hurt in the end. Remember that the Dark Lord chose you for a reason. ”

"I know." Jaehyun nodded and said no more.

Jaehyun knew he should concentrate on the coven’s affairs. The threat was real, the Light Coven changed, became stronger, and clearly claimed power for itself. Jaehyun saw that the members of the coven were afraid that perhaps the promise of a bright future was not as real as they had thought. The threat of the Light Coven was too real and Jaehyun knew that everyone was afraid for the same reason he was. Because they are not strong enough and since the engagement of Jaehyun and the Dark Lord has not yet been fulfilled they have no chance of defeating the Light Coven.

The final negotiations took place today and Jaehyun nestled uneasily beside Taeyong. He didn’t have any new visions, so he couldn’t comment on the discussion, but Youngho’s closeness didn’t help him feel more relaxed either. When their eyes met, Youngho just smirked at him, without anyone noticing. Jaehyun couldn't get the dream or vision out of his head or who knows what he was going through. He wished it had been a reality, but he was confused and had no idea what to think. The air was full of a kind of tension, but Jaehyun knew it wasn’t because of the possible attack they were waiting for, but because of him and Youngho. Maybe he was the only one who felt it at all.

"Jaehyun, what the hell is wrong with you?" Taeyong asked in a whisper as the boy's father spoke to the other counselors.

"I'm anxious." Jaehyun confessed and shook his hair out of his eyes with trembling hands. "I didn't sleep well at night."

"Your restless behaviour doesn't help us." Taeyong replied. “Don't worry about the Light Coven unnecessarily, we are prepared for everything. ”

"Are you sure?" Jaehyun asked and turned to the elder. "Since my vision, I feel like we're going to lose." he confessed then honestly and when he saw Taeyong's frustrated gaze he was saddened and then lowered his eyes.

"Why don't you trust your own coven, Jaehyun?" Taeyong asked after a few minutes of silence.

“It’s not about that, Taeyong, but the Light Coven has become stronger. They’re a lot stronger and I really don’t know what could help us.”

"I know." Jaehyun slowly raised his gaze to Youngho. The fact that the boy came closer to him only made matters worse, he could feel how he is already sweating under his robe.

"Jaehyun was just a little scared, but I'm sure there won't be a problem." Taeyong replied politely.

"We need to strengthen our borders with a serious spell." Youngho said, not taking his fiery gaze away from Jaehyun. "I know the right spell."

"But I don't think this strengthening magic is unbreakable?" Jaehyun asked quietly.

"No, but trust me, Jaehyun, we will survive." Youngho said and his voice was so firm that Jaehyun really believed him that maybe they still had a chance to survive.

At the end of the meeting, Taeyong escorted Jaehyun back to the house and the boy inadvertently remembered the Night Crown. He was frustrated, for if the Dark Lord had already given him the crown, he could now have defended the coven. Before Jaehyun was born, it was predicted that he would have tremendous power, but the boy did not know if this power that was in him would be able to stop the Light Coven without the help of the crown. He feared that his abilities would only be fully realized if the crown were on his head. And the thought saddened him, he didn't want to lose his family, his friends, Youngho…

He closed his eyes and ran his hand trough his hair, though his parents didn't want him to fight Jaehyun felt he still had too much responsibility. At the same time, he also felt he couldn’t help much, as he didn’t have any visions lately.

Less than an hour later, however, the coven was actually attacked. Jaehyun didn't know how much Youngho's magic had worked, but when a pale Yuta appeared to accompany him into the woods he feared that nothing is all right.

“I have to go back because of Taeyong, but you will be safe in the clearing. Jaemin and Jeno will be with you.” Yuta said quickly as they reached the edge of the woods.

“Why do I have to go to the clearing? Yuta, why can't I go with you? ” Jaehyun asked in a desperate voice.

“At the clearing our magic is the strongest. If they get there…” Yuta didn’t finish, Jeno and Jaemin were waiting for them at the edge of the woods. Jaehyun couldn't help but notice the dried blood on Jeno's face and Jaemin's trembling gaze.

“Yuta…” Jaehyun began begging.

"There will be no problem, just stay there and stay alive." Yuta said in a serious voice and hugged the boy. “You’re my best friend, I don’t want you to get in trouble. Nobody wants that. ” he added in a whisper.

"I don't want you to get in trouble either." Jaehyun replied hoarsely as he tried to hold back his tears.

"I have Taeyong there, he will protect me." Yuta said and as they pulled apart they smiled encouragingly at Jaehyun. "We just want you to be safe."

"Hyung, we have to go." Jeno said and grabbed Jaehyun's arm.

"Stay safe, Jaehyunnie." Yuta said softly as the three boys disappeared into the woods.

*

Jaehyun helped set up the circle, his hands trembling, but he wanted to stay strong. Jaemin was terrified, it was written on his face, Jeno looked braver, but the elder was sure he was afraid too. The voices of the attack that have reached their ears have not promised good news. Jaehyun just hoped the Dark Lord would protect them, but he still wanted to help in his own way. Jaemin brought with him a bag containing several magic gear and the Book of the Beast. Taeyong and his parents apparently thought that it would be the safest to keep the book near Jaehyun.

"Come, sit here with me." Jaehyun asked and all three took a seat within the circle. "We have to help the Coven somehow, even if we're away from them."

"How can we help them?" Jaemin asked trembling.

"Trust me." Jaehyun replied, then reached for the bag and took out the bowls that someone had carefully prepared in advance. He sprinkled rose powder into one and poured wine from the bottle, which had also been lurking in the bag so far. In the second bowl, he scattered rose petals and placed a black bird feather on top, then took a knife out of the bag. Leaning over the third bowl, he cut his palm and let his blood drip into the bowl. "Give me your hand, Jeno!" he then asked and the boy held out his hand.

"It looks like a complicated magic." Jaemin said as he watched as Jaehyun cut Jeno's hand and dripped the boy's blood into the same bowl as his own.

"I can only do it with you." Jaehyun replied and reached out to Jaemin this time. The boy trembled, but let Jaehyun cut him, too, and let his blood drip into the bowl as well.

"It was close." Jeno remarked as a dying scream seemed closer than before.

"We don't have much time." Jaehyun said, then quickly lit the rose petals and the bird feather with a simple spell. "Close your eyes and hold my hand." he added.

Jeno and Jaemin took Jaehyun's hand, and then the elder closed his eyes and gave himself a minute to gather his thoughts.

"Dark Lord, protect us, please." he said softly as a soft breeze ran through the woods. Jaehyun could smell his own blood and only hoped that that much blood sacrifices would be enough. He thought of the love of the Dark Lord and that he wanted to be his spouse, whatever would happen today. But above all, they had to survive this.

“Jaehyun…” Jaemin’s voice was still trembling, the elder heard someone approaching from somewhere from the edge of the woods.

"Concentrate, Jaemin!" Jaehyun said, if his senses had not cheated a couple of members of the Light Coven were heading towards them, but the boy hoped they would not be able to enter the circle.

"Something is not right." Jeno remarked softly from the other side.

"Just focus on me and on the need to protect the coven!" Jaehyun said nervously, and his body was soon permeated by the familiar warmth. The presence of the Dark Lord was distant, but Jaehyun felt him, he felt his love and that he would protect him. But as if a minute later everything was broken, Jaehyun felt the two younger boys squeeze his hand harder and open his eyes.

Some of the members of Light Coven surrounding the clearing, they were all wearing white clothes and seemed like they’re almost shining. Jaehyun looked around in horror, all he could think of was that he must protect Jeno and Jaemin even if he couldn’t protect the whole coven.

"Jaehyun ...?" There were tears of terror in Jaemin's eyes as he looked at the older.

"Trust me, we're safe inside the circle." Jaehyun said quickly, then turned to the other boy. "Jeno, if I say you have to disappear, take Jaemin to a safe place."

"We can't leave you here…" Jeno objected almost immediately.

“It’s a command now. As the son of the leaders of the Dark Coven, I command you to do as I say. ” Jaehyun interrupted in a serious voice. "Did you understand?" he then asked to give momentum to his words.

Jeno nodded reluctantly, but Jaehyun was sure he would do what he asked him to do. Meanwhile, a member of the Light Coven walked toward them and Jaehyun waited, holding his breath as he is finally stopped outside the circle. The man was tall and Jaehyun read the madness from his eyes, the Light Coven seemed to have changed a lot more than he had previously thought.

"Witch Prince." the man said and smiled. “We were looking for you everywhere and you were hiding here all the time. You used to hold rituals here, don't you? ”

"I don't think you have anything to do with it." Jaehyun replied measuredly. "You have no power over us."

"They say you're the fiancé of the Dark Lord." the man continued, as if he hadn't heard what the boy had said before.

"That's true." Jaehyun replied firmly. “The coven is under his protection. You made the wrong decision when you attacked us. ”

"You could be stronger among us." the man said and Jaehyun was confused. Would that have been the reason they were suddenly attacked?

"The Darkness is my home." Jaehyun replied, then released Jeno and Jaemin's hand. He got up from the ground, but did not step out of the circle, he knew that as long as he was inside the circle, no light witch could touch him. “I would never join you, I am faithful to the Dark Coven and the Dark Lord. I was born in the Darkness and the Darkness will always be my home. I am a member of the Midnight Circle, my name is in the Book of the Beast. ”

"Do you think these things can't be reversed?" the light witch asked in a serious voice as he looked into Jaehyun's eyes. “The Light can give home and love to everyone. You can wash away the stamp of darkness, Jaehyun, you are strong enough for it. Have you ever thought that change would be good? Our traditions are much cleaner, much stronger. The Light Coven would welcome a witch like you with open arms. You may have been born in the Darkness, but there is nothing stopping you from living your life in the Light. The Dawn Circle accepts you as a real family and your name can be included in the Book of the Blessed. You could start a new life with us. ”

„You really think that I would betray the Dark Lord while I have been his fiancé for two years? ”

"I think you can make clear decisions and see that the Darkness has no future." answered the light witch. “Maybe the Vision show you what to expect already? Your coven will not survive this here today, but we will accept you into our coven. ”

"Jeno." Jaehyun turned back to the two boys behind him.

“Jaehyun, you can’t think we’re leaving you here…” Jaemin began, rising from the ground. However, Jeno grabbed his arm and reached into his pocket to sprinkle some black dust into the air. Before Jaemin could speak once more, the two boys were already gone.

"Did you try to save their lives?" the light witch asked mockingly as Jaehyun turned back toward him.

"I saved it." Jaehyun replied seriously, then took a step closer to the man. "I will not let my family down."

“You’re making a big mistake if you don’t come with us now. That's the only way you can save them.”

"Power comes at a price, haven't you been told yet?" Jaehyun asked softly and grabbed the man's neck with a firm gesture. All emotion seemed to have disappeared from him, the only thing he remembered that he had to save his family.

Jaehyun squeezed the man's neck so tightly that his fingers began to whiten. And the magic inside him grew, as if it is overflowing his veins and the boy began to feel like he was no longer himself. He was always considered the Witch Prince, the most powerful witch of this generation and now he felt like he is that. Suddenly, however, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and let go of the man's neck, then fell to the ground.

"Power comes at a price, you're right." the light witch said in a hoarse voice. Jaehyun looked at his shoulder with a teary eyes. A single white arrow was in his shoulder, but he felt such a sharp pain as never before. His thoughts became blurred, just like his vision, and when the man took his hand and yanked him out of the circle, Jaehyun knew he was lost.

“No…” he started, but blood started flowing out of the corner of his mouth and he coughed and turned to the side to spit the blood on the ground.

"You will be ours, if you won’t join us willingly than we will force you." the man whispered in his ear.

“Young-Youngho…” Jaehyun whimpered as he vaguely saw the white-dressed figures supporting him to another side of the woods. His shoulder throbbed with pain where the arrow was still in and his tears began to flow. He closed his eyes and was afraid he might never wake up.

*

However, Jaehyun woke up once more. It felt like if he was still in the woods, but the energies that surrounded him were completely different than usual. He tried to get up, but thick gold handcuffs chained him to a stone slab he was lying on, so he soon realized he wouldn't be able to move easily. The arrow was removed from his shoulder, but the pain did not go away. Jaehyun whimpered helplessly, this kind of weakness was unknown to him until now.

"You just woke up in time." the man who had spoken to him before said. Jaehyun soon saw the white figure as he leaned over him. “Don’t try anything, the handcuffs bind your powers anyway. We will start the ritual soon. ”

"What-What ritual?" Jaehyun asked in horror.

"You will join us, as I said." the man replied in a calm voice.

“No…” Jaehyun wanted to be firm, but his voice trembled. And the man turned his back on him to say a few words to the Light Coven. "Youngho… Youngho, where are you?" Jaehyun asked desperately and closed his eyes for a minute. He wanted to believe that Youngho, the Dark Lord, or anyone could hear his voice, but if the handcuffs had really bind his powers, he didn’t have much of a chance to let them know where he is.

Jaehyun felt stupid and helpless. He didn't know what had happened to Dark Coven, he knew nothing and he felt alone. Without his family and friends, his life meant nothing, he had no idea how he could get out of here, but he knew he didn’t want to join the Light Coven. However, he also knew that the man would stand by his word, so they would force him to join anyways. Jaehyun's eyes filled with tears as he felt them begin to wash his body with clear water. He felt weaker and closed his eyes because he had no desire for this life. He hoped he might see another vision with Youngho, Yuta, Taeyong, Jaemin, his parents, and everyone who had ever been important to him before he lose them forever.

He heard screams, but he didn't dare to open his eyes. He didn't know the rituals of the Light Coven, but he didn't care what they were like. Jaehyun just thought he didn't want it all, he wasn't born for it, and he didn't feel strong anymore.

"Jaehyun, open your eyes!" Yuta's soft voice slammed his ear and the boy immediately opened his eyes.

“Yuta…,” he said as he began to cry. His friend hugged him for a moment, then began to deal with the handcuffs. Jaehyun looked around, the blood of the light witches painting everything red in this part of the woods. "What happened?"

"Youngho." Yuta replied and nodded in the other direction. Youngho approached them, followed by flames in his wake, and in his hand was the Night Crown.

“He is the Dark Lord…” Jaehyun whispered with glassy eyes, and soon the handcuffs rattled off his wrist. Yuta helped him off the stone slab, but he still felt weak and his legs trembled as Youngho stopped in front of him.

"Jaehyun, we don't have much time." Youngho said in a serious voice and lifted the crown. "It's time to accept your destiny."

"You have to tell me your secret beforehand." Jaehyun said as he clung to Yuta's shoulder. Youngho's gaze blazed with rage, but Jaehyun knew it wasn't because of him. He read from the boy's dark iris that the Light Coven had caused this rage. "Did you come from Hell?" Jaehyun asked softly, only noticing that Taeyong was also standing next to Youngho.

"Yes." Youngho replied honestly. "You knew all along." he added, not asking, simply stating.

"Not all the way through." Jaehyun admitted.

"We don't have time for this now." Taeyong interrupted in a serious voice. “Jaehyun is weak, even I feel it. The Light Coven won't hide for long, we just scared them now, but we didn't kill them all. ”

"Are you the Dark Lord?" Jaehyun asked and looked into Youngho's eyes, ignoring Taeyong's remark. "I need to know, you owe me that much."

"Yes." Youngho said. “I’m a Morningstar, I came from Hell. I wanted to spend a year with you before you became my spouse, but the Light Lord also had ideas about you. ”

“I don’t understand that,” Jaehyun said quietly.

“You don’t have to, I would never give you to him. He underestimated me.” Youngho replied with a mocking smile on his face.

"The crown..." Yuta began. "We really don't have much time."

"It's time to settle accounts with the Light Coven." Youngho declared, then held out his other hand and Jaehyun grabbed it without thinking. Youngho's hot fingers reminded him of home. "Do you accept the crown?" Youngho asked, as if afraid that Jaehyun would say no at the last minute.

"Yes." Jaehyun nodded, holding his breath as he waited for Youngho to carefully place the crown on his head.

Taeyong and Yuta watched with awe as the crown fit Jaehyun's head, then the stones in the crown that had been shimmering until then turned black. Jaehyun felt much stronger, his injuries healed and without hesitation he stepped closer to Youngho and then kissed him deeply.

"I love you." he declared, smiling at the man and Youngho smiled back at him.

"We still have a thing to do." Youngho said as he wrapped his arms around the boy's waist.

"After you, Dark Lord." Taeyong said and Youngho took Jaehyun's hand to go after the fleeing members of the Light Coven. Hours later, from the home of the Dark Coven, they could see sharply that the woods standing in flames, and the screams of light witches filled the dark night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> This chapter turned out a little longer... I still hope you enjoyed it :)


	6. Too heavy is the crown

Jaehyun could see that he changed as he looked at himself in the mirror, his skin getting prettier and his hair brighter, he was almost shining and he knew it was because of the crown. What happened the night before still lived vividly in his memories and he knew he would never orget that day. Youngho was the Dark Lord… or the Dark Lord was Youngho. Jaehyun somehow always felt that Youngho was different from the others, because who were born in Hell different from everyone else. But Youngho was all that Dark Coven respected. They presented sacrifices to him at their ceremonies, praying to him to stay alive. Youngho was much more than what Jaehyun had believed.

At the same time, Youngho confused his visions, but they still showed Jaehyun the reality: that Youngho would be a part of his future. And the boy now believed that these pictures really showed him a beautiful future. However, he could not forget that the Dark Coven still paid a high price for both of them to be here now. The Light Coven’s vile attack was not left without wounds, but Jaehyun trusted that these wounds could heal with time and patience. He trusted in the Night Crown and in his own abilities to make the fate of the Dark Coven better.

"How do you feel?" Youngho asked as they sat on the boy's bed facing each other. Jaehyun found the whole scene surreal, Youngho was the Dark Lord and he was sitting here on his bed in his room and they are looking into each other's eyes. Jaehyun lowered his eyes as he was always taught not to look into the eyes of the Dark Lord. "Jaehyun?" Youngho asked, reaching forward carefully to touch the boy's hand.

”I’m fine." Jaehyun replied, blinking back at the man. His knees no longer trembled as they had before when Youngho was near him. He didn't know why, but the man's presence now meant security and a home for him, so he only felt a pleasant warmth inside that seemed to never go away. "The arrow… which they were shot me…"

“It was a holy arrow, probably sprinkled with holy water before you were shot. They can defeat dark witches like that, but you’re much stronger than the average, so you’re just weakened. ” Youngho replied as if that were clear, but Jaehyun was sure he hadn't heard of anyone being shot with a holy arrow. He did not know the teachings of the Light Coven and perhaps this was a big mistake. "The Night Crown saved you or it would have saved you if they could complete their ritual as planned."

“The ritual wouldn’t have worked, I didn’t want to join them. I was weak, but I didn't want to be a member of the Light Coven even then. ”

"I know you're loyal to the darkness, Jaehyun." Youngho replied and smiled at the younger. "I'm sorry I didn't tell the truth about myself." he then added in a penitential voice.

"What was your purpose with that?" Jaehyun asked. “I mean… I’ve been waiting for you for the last few years to finally come for me… to be yours. Above all, I wanted to be your spouse. And that's just how you showed up out of nowhere and… I was confused. ”

"I know, but I was wondering if you could really do anything for me." Youngho said honestly. “You saw the visions, but I didn’t reveal my face to anyone before. You know that, according to tradition, the Dark Lord cannot appear before the coven. But at least I wanted you to be mine as soon as you could. I just wanted to know if you’re going to love me even if someone else shows up in your life, it was a test, Jaehyun. ”

"But it was you." Jaehyun replied. "You are the Dark Lord, Youngho."

"But you loved me without knowing that, didn't you?" Youngho asked in a soft voice.

"I just… felt like I was attracted to you for some reason and I was scared." Jaehyun admitted. "If I hadn't prepared to be the spouse of the Dark Lord, then…"

"I am the Dark Lord." Youngho reminded him and as their gazes met they both smiled.

"It makes my job easier." Jaehyun replied. "We have to tell my parents, they have no idea it's you."

"I know." Youngho nodded, but looked worried. “I’m afraid I have to go back to Hell if we told them. The Light Lord is certainly not happy that we have exterminated His followers. I don’t know what will happen, but I have to be prepared for now and I can’t just wait for him. I have to protect you and the Dark Coven. ”

Jaehyun shivered from the memories of the previous night for a moment. He had never felt as weak as he had when the Light Coven tried to force their joining ritual on him. As they tried to wash his skin with clean water to wash away the darkness in which Jaehyun was born and which has always been his home. Youngho was right, the crown saved his life the night before. And they killed everyone they could find after the crown was placed on the boy's head and he was sure that the Light Coven had been completely destroyed. Taeyong brought the Book of the Blessed, the only thing left intact among the flames. Jaehyun didn't know what their plan would be with it, but he guessed that if they tried to destroy the book, the Light Coven would really be over forever. Power comes at a price, and the Light Coven suffered an ugly defeat when they tried to force Jaehyun to join them. And the boy now felt as strong as never before, he could feel the magic throbbing in his veins and filling every tiny corner of his body. He felt he could do anything, but he also needed Youngho's presence.

"The crown is already mine." Jaehyun said after a few minutes of silence. "Then I have to go with you too, don't I?"

"I wouldn't force you to do this, Hell may not be for you." Youngho replied.

“And the Doom? You said the Doom would come if the crown was on my head. ” the boy replied.

"We have forty days until then." Youngho replied. "And before that, we have to get married."

Jaehyun's heart began to beat wilder for a moment and a pleasant tremor ran through his body. The thought of the wedding made him happy, as he had been waiting for this day to come since the ritual. The familiar tingling in his fingers simultaneously meant happiness. Youngho was his future and now everything seemed so beautiful and clear. Jaehyun thought no one could take that away from him anymore, because in forty days he would be the spouse of the Dark Lord and then the Dark Coven would be saved.

Soon Taeyong knocked on the door and tried to politely draw their attention to the fact that everyone was waiting for them. Jaehyun was also excited at the thought that his parents would soon be able to get to know the Dark Lord in person as well. The Dark Coven had no idea what honor they would receive. And the surprise was that Youngho joined them and everyone liked him soon, without even knowing who he really was. Youngho could hide his true face because no one suspected that he really was the Dark Lord. However, Jaehyun felt that even the air around Youngho was different than around a simple dark witch. Youngho was born in Hell and they were bound together by a clasp that Jaehyun even felt he didn't really know.

The surprise and excitement in his parents signaled to Jaehyun that no one but him had really guessed that Youngho was the Dark Lord. However, his father's tired gaze suggested that the war between the Light Coven and the Dark Coven was more cruel than the boy had guessed. Jaemin came out of nowhere and they just hugged each other for minutes, until finally Jeno gently pulled the younger boy away from Jaehyun.

"A lot of things change now that Youngho is the Dark Lord." Yuta said softly as Jaehyun watched from a distance as Youngho talked to his parents.

"I felt that he is different from the others." Jaehyun replied. "But I didn't know that it’s because he is the Dark Lord actually."

"I was worried about what would happen if you really fell in love with him." Yuta replied after a few minutes of silence. “Taeyong was also worried. But when Youngho approached us to go after you because you are in trouble… everything has changed. ”

"What exactly happened?"

"He said we have to go to Hell for the Crown." Yuta replied. “I’ve never been to such a strange place and Youngho… was surrounded by such an interesting force, it was suddenly as if everything had really changed and then Taeyong and I understood why. He said he wanted to change the traditions and he didn’t want to hide from us anymore. ”

"That's why he showed his face to you." said Jaehyun. "Taeyong didn't trust him."

"He had his reasons." Yuta replied, then smiled. “None of us knew what his intentions were with you. Taeyong only saw an intruder in him at first, since we didn’t know his face, we couldn’t guess that he was the Dark Lord. You know He can deceive anyone. ”

"Yes." Jaehyun nodded, while Youngho left his parents and they joined them with Taeyong at his side.

"You will have a task Jaehyun while I handle the affairs of Hell." Youngho said, then raised his hand and stroked the boy's face softly. Jaehyun slipped into the touch and wished that Yougho would never let go. “The Book of the Blessed is to be destroyed. I want nothing to be left of the legacy of the Light Coven. Taeyong prepares you for the ritual of annihilation, it won’t be easy, but you are wearing the Night Crown, so you have the power to do so. ”

"I'll do what you wish, My Lord." Jaehyun nodded. Inside, he was excited to be entrusted with such an important task.

Youngho leaned closer to him the next moment, then grabbed his arm and Jaehyun was happy that his touch was still as scorchingly familiar as he was used to.

"I want to say goodbye to you before I leave." Youngho whispered in his ear and Jaehyun felt himself blush.

Accompanied by the telling look of Yuta and Taeyong, Youngho eventually escorted him back to his own house. Jaehyun's knees trembled as Youngho covered his neck with hot kisses in the safe darkness of his bedroom. Jaehyun wanted Youngho very much, he would have done anything for him there and at that moment.

"How long will you be away?" Jaehyun asked as Youngho's hot fingers unbuttoned his robe.

"I'm not sure." Youngho replied sincerely, then looked the boy in the eye. “I’m reluctant to leave you alone, you better know that. But there are things I need to do as soon as possible. I will come back, I promise you. ”

"I will be waiting for you." Jaehyun said and pulled the man closer to kiss him again.

"Lie on the bed!" Youngho asked in a velvety voice between two kisses, and Jaehyun reluctantly but pulled away from him to do what the Dark Lord had asked. Meanwhile, he slipped out of his robe and watched Youngho with longing eyes.

"Aren't you coming here to me?" Jaehyun asked softly as he felt himself blush even more.

"I'm going to, but before that I wanted to see you for myself." Youngho replied with a smile, then a moment later leaned over Jaehyun to kiss the boy. "I have a hard time controlling myself near you."

"Then don't do it." Jaehyun whispered hoarsely and kissed the man again. "I want to be yours."

"You still have to wait." Youngho replied in a firm voice as he kissed the boy's neck. "Turn around." he added.

“If I have to wait, why…” Jaehyun began, but when Youngho touched his arm softly, he obeyed him. He hugged one of his pillows as Youngho covered his shoulders and back with hot kisses.

"You'll love this." Youngho whispered and a pleasant trembling ran over Jaehyun’s body when he heard the promise. Youngho's touch was pleasantly warm, but Jaehyun began to feel his own body overheated. Youngho's fingers were sticky as they penetrated him with soft movements, Jaehyun groaning loudly. He wanted more, much more, though he knew there was no reason to be impatient now. The Dark Lord was Youngho and they will get together soon, and then Jaehyun will get much more than that.

Jaehyun moaned in frustration as Youngho's fingers pulled out too soon. Time seemed to slow down for a moment, and Jaehyun moaned so loudly a minute later that it was almost a scream. Something wet and warm slid through his entrance and Jaehyun took a deep breath again, then pressed his head into the pillow as he tried to control his trembling. Youngho continued to lick down there and Jaehyun tried his best to stifle his increasingly loud moans. The younger’s brain began to cloud, a pleasant warm feeling spread in his stomach, and involuntarily moaned Youngho's name into the pillow.

"You're such a good boy, Jaehyun." Youngho whispered a minute later as Jaehyun began to recover. Under his body, the bedding was wet and he was still panting.

"I don't want you to go and leave me here." Jaehyun said in a trembling voice as he looked at Youngho. He turned carefully and hid closer to Youngho's warm body. He felt his hardness between his legs and slowly moved his hips, and Youngho hummed softly as he felt the gentle touches of Jaehyun's soft body through his clothes. "Can't I really go with you?" Jaehyun asked hopefully and looked for Youngho's gaze.

"No." Youngho replied firmly, then pressed a hot kiss to Jaehyun's soft lips and got out of bed. "Do the job I gave you." he added, then leaned down on the floor to pick up Jaehyun's robe and handed the garment to the boy. Shaking, Jaehyun pulled back the robe, which clung to his sweaty body almost immediately, but now he didn't care.

"If I do it, will we really be each other's at last?" Jaehyun asked softly and got up from the bed to step towards Youngho. “I may be selfish, My Lord, but that is no longer enough for me. I want you, I want to be yours, in every possible way. ”

"You will be mine soon." Youngho replied softly and stroked the boy's face. “But we still have business to deal with. And if you did what I asked, we'll be each other’s forever, you'll see. ”

With the pictures of their merriage in his visions, Jaehyun tried to convince himself that the time was really near for them to finally be each other’s. However, Youngho soon really left him alone and the boy didn’t even know for minutes what to do now that he was left alone. Not long after, Yuta showed up and helped him take a bath and then pull on a clean robe. After that he change Jaehyun’s bedding in his room. Jaehyun didn't know if he should be ashamed of making such a mess with Youngho, but then the Dark Lord wanted to say goodbye to him that way. Jaehyun didn't mind, he even smiled a little at the memory.

*

In the days that followed, his parents and the rest of the coven were working to repair the buildings damaged in the battle, Jaehyun wanted to help them, but before he could leave the house, Taeyong and Yuta showed up to talk to him about his own mission. About the task Youngho had assigned him and Jaehyun knew he had to complete it as fast as possible before they could come together. But the Dark Lord had not given any sign to Jaehyun in the last few days, and the boy feared that perhaps he might have changed his mind and would not eventually want him as his spouse anymore.

The Night Crown gave him strength, but Jaehyun was confused. Most of the time, he felt like he couldn’t even see himself as he looking at the mirror. There was a price to power, but Jaehyun did not yet know the price, and the Night Crown was as if it had its own will. The boy sometimes felt that in exchange for strength, he had to obey every wish of the crown, even if he didn’t understand exactly what it wanted from him now.

"Youngho… I mean, the Dark Lord told me how exactly you can destroy the book." Taeyong said as he pushed the book wrapped in a black material in front of Jaehyun on the table. "Yuta is preparing everything for you and you will be able to hold the ritual tonight."

"Won't you be there with me?" Jaehyun asked in a slightly terrified voice.

"You won't need me, because the crown is yours." Taeyong replied and smiled. “You’d better get used to the fact that you don’t really need anyone from now on. There is a magic in you that is very hard to control Jaehyun, but you are strong. ”

"I do not want to be alone." Jaehyun replied and looked for help from Yuta. "The Dark Lord always leaves me and… I feel so alone."

"Youngho will come back to you." Yuta said to reassure his friend. "You know that, too."

"His absence is making me completely insane." Jaehyun lowered his eyes. "I thought everything was going to change now, but I still have to wait for it."

"You have to be patient." Taeyong said in an almost reprehensible voice. "If you've endured so far, these few days shouldn't really be a problem anymore."

"The crown is too heavy." Jaehyun replied and looked back at his friends. "I feel like I'm lost without the Dark Lord and I'm not strong enough to make good decisions."

"You just have to destroy the book." Taeyong replied. "This is the last relic that has survived from the Light Coven.”

"And is that really a good decision to destroy it?" Jaehyun asked quite softly, then lowered his eyes again. He couldn't see Taeyong's shocked face now. “I thought it was… that there is no darkness without light, just as there is no light without darkness. I thought everything needed balance. ”

"The Light Coven attacked us, Jaehyun and not the other way around!" Taeyong said nervously. “Don’t you remember what they did to you? If they managed to finish their ritual and we didn’t get there on time, you would have just been their toy! ”

"Everyone can make bad decisions…"

"No." Taeyong said grimly, cutting into the boy's words. “You’re destroying the book tonight, I’m not opening a debate about that. The Dark Lord will know if you disobey him. ”

"Taeyong, I didn't even say I wouldn't obey him!" Jaehyun replied, raising his trembling gaze to the older one.

"Do you love him at all?" Taeyong asked in an almost accusing voice. "Do you love him with true love?"

"Of course." Jaehyun replied in a firm voice. In recent years he had loved nothing but the Dark Lord, he wanted to be his, but now everything was confused again.

"Then don't question him if he asks you to do something!" Taeyong said irritably. "Learn to finally behave, enough of the questions, do what they tell you!"

“Taeyong…” Yuta began in a soft voice, but Taeyong silenced him with a single glance.

"Get ready for the ritual." Taeyong then said in a harsh voice while still watching Yuta. "If you don't do what the Dark Lord asked you to do, you risk the fate of the whole coven." he added, then left the two boys alone in the house.

"Jaehyun, why did you have to say that right now?" Yuta asked softly, as if afraid Taeyong would still hear them.

“I… I just don’t understand all this. We wiped out a whole coven… I was… I… innocent also died. ” Jaehyun replied in a trembling voice. To this day, he didn't even think about what they were doing there in the woods. "The crown gave me too much power."

“No, that power has been in you all along, Jaehyun. They predicted you would be stronger than all of us. ” Yuta replied with a dry throat. "Don't you think what we're doing or have done aren't good deeds?"

"I don't know, Yuta, the crown is confusing me." Jaehyun replied sincerely. "I feel like I'm a completely different person."

"You can't turn back now, Jaehyun, you know that." Yuta replied softly and Jaehyun nodded weakly.

That night Taeyong and Yuta escorted him to the clearing, Jaehyun felt a tension in the air that only confused his already sensitive senses. Yuta put the crown on his head before they left and Jaehyun pretended there was nothing wrong, but Taeyong's gaze still burned a hole in his back.

"We'll stay close, so you don't have time to fuck up your task." Taeyong said crudely after Yuta set up the circle and placed everything in the order that Jaehyun would need in his ritual.

“Taeyong…,” Jaehyun began, but by then the boy had already turned to head back.

"Just do what you have to do, Taeyong will reconcile." Yuta said softly and walked quickly after Taeyong.

Jaehyun took a deep breath and sat down in the circle, then reached with quick movements right after the knife that Yuta had placed on a red scarf. Jaehyun felt he couldn’t control his anger as he cut his hand with a firm motion, but the wound was not deep enough. He cut himself once more and so much blood dripped onto the book that it almost soaked the pages. However, Jaehyun felt no pain as he watched the book begin to break down from that. He then reached for the cup of wine to sip its contents, then took the bowl in which the incense was steaming. He took a deep breath of the scent and, feeling the sweet taste of the wine on his tongue, his anger began to subside. He set the bowl down, then placed both palms on the book and felt the sheets get warmer under his palm.

"You don't have to do this, Jaehyun." a pleasantly soft voice said and when the boy opened his eyes he saw a strange figure in front of him. He was tall, dressed entirely in white clothes, but he couldn't see his face.

"That's what the Dark Lord asked me to do." Jaehyun said as he tried to take out the man's features. The burning scent of the paper soon began to mix with the scent of incense.

"Why do I still feel like you don't agree with him?" the man asked, then took a step closer, but Jaehyun saw that he stayed carefully outside the circle.

"You are the Light Lord, right?" Jaehyun asked, but did not lift his palms off the book.

"Yes." the man replied. "If you destroy the book, there's nothing left that could possibly help the Light Coven re-emerge."

"We killed all your followers, no one could recruit new members to your coven." Jaehyun replied in a raw voice.

"You are smart, Jaehyun, you know that there is no light without darkness and no darkness without light."

"I will not submit to you." Jaehyun replied in a firm voice. He didn't know if the words had been put in his mouth beacause of his loyalty to Youngho or it was the crown’s doing, but it didn't matter. Jaehyun knew that he did not want to disappoint anyone and wanted to show Taeyong that he was strong in his faith.

"You can do much more than that, Jaehyun." the man whispered, but Jaehyun did everything he could to exclude his voice from his head. Even if deep down, he really felt like he wasn’t acting completely honestly. He was loyal to Youngho and wanted to do everything he could to get even a small step closer to finally being the spouse of the Dark Lord.

"You don't know anything about me." Jaehyun replied as the heat under his palms began to become almost unbearable. The smell of his own blood mingled with the smell of fire, which was both crippling and wonderful. The boy thought about Youngho and their love and what else would be waiting for them. Jaehyun wanted Youngho to be here and tell him that he is proud of him. He wanted to be a good boy for Youngho, only for him.

The fire soon became so strong under the boy's palms that Jaehyun felt like he was starting to lose all control. He wasn't sure if the Light Lord was still talking to him, but minutes later he heard his screams as only ashes left of the book after the flames. With that, Jaehyun put an end to Light Coven’s fate for forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> OMG, thank you so much for your support :)  
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as well and don't worry about Jaehyun, he is loyal to Youngho of course :)
> 
> Sorry, this chapter took much more time than I expected, I still hope you liked it :)


	7. Dark Wedding

Jaehyun didn't say a word as Yuta tried to wipe the ashes and blood from his hands. He was exhausted, but he showed no signs of fatigue. He felt as if his body wasn’t really there in the house and sitting in the chair while his best friend was trying to fix him. The crown lay there on the table and as Jaehyun looked up Taeyong looked back at him. The boy almost waited to quarrel with him again or tell him he was disappointed, though that wasn’t true now. Jaehyun did everything the Dark Lord expected of him, even if inside he felt he was not doing good things. He took more lives than he could count on both hands and now also made sure that the Light Coven had no future. As he thought back to the ritual he had performed at the clearing at the age of twenty, he thought he had come a long way since then.

Jaehyun felt stronger than the others, but still it was as if everything and everyone was trying to limit his abilities. He was aware that the Light Coven, too, would only have used his abilities to survive. Such has always been the life of the Covens: they fought to stay alive, for someone always wanted to rule the world. However, power always came at a price and Jaehyun felt that the line between what was good and what was bad was already blurred. Being a dark witch suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad choice. Of the two big circles, they finally stood out, the Midnight Circle survived.

“It seems like you have finally really acted the way everyone expected you to. Including the Dark Lord. ” Taeyong said, his voice still had an edge from which Jaehyun had inferred that he still had not forgiven him. Maybe he never would, the boy couldn’t know, but it didn’t matter, he was almost used to disappointing his friend with everything he did.

"I said you don't have to doubt me." Jaehyun replied, his voice weak and low. He wouldn't have confessed to himself either, but destroying the book was much harder than it seemed. "Now it's all over, the Dark Coven should rule the world."

"These injuries don't hurt?" Yuta asked before Taeyong could speak again. Jaehyun looked down at his hands, he saw the wounds, but felt no pain and knew that the injuries would not stay on his hands for long. As the crown healed his previous injuries, Jaehyun was sure they would disappear, maybe in a few days they would have no trace.

"No, I am fine." Jaehyun replied to reassure his friend. "When will Youngho return?"

"He didn't tell us anything." Yuta replied, then took the bowl containing water and the bloody cloth to place next to the sink.

"You still have to practice patience." Taeyong said, then got up from the table. "Don't look at me like that, you should be glad you did what the Dark Lord asked you to do!"

"You're always just looking for the fault in me while I do my best for the Dark Lord and the Coven!" Jaehyun erupted nervously. He felt his whole body tremble as he became more and more angry because he could not meet Taeyong's expectations in any way. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, feeling tears well up in his eyes. He was tired of Taeyong who just highlighting his bad qualities and that he is not being able to ask questions, that they want him to not know anything. Everyone just expected him to act the way they want him to, while they weren’t curious about what he wanted in the meantime. Jaehyun felt like he had never really been himself in his life, only in the moments when Youngho was by his side and he could tell him he loved him. Because his love was true and only his.

"I want you to shut up and behave the way it would fit your role!" Taeyong replied angrily. "I always just wanted good for you, but you're getting more and more unpredictable lately!"

"I destroyed the book, didn't you want that?"

"This is not what I wanted, but the Dark Lord." Taeyong replied grimly. "And you shouldn't have questioned whether it was a good or a bad decision!"

"You have no idea what it's like to wear that crown!" Jaehyun said angrily, then got up from the table and went into his room. He slammed the door with such force that the whole house shuddered.

"Why did you do that now?" Yuta asked softly as he turned to the other boy.

"Don't defend him, you know I'm right!" Taeyong said angrily as he looked back at the other.

"He's confused, give him time!"

"If Youngho finds out…"

"Youngho is the Dark Lord, Taeyong, he knows everything." Yuta cut into his words.

“All right. It doesn’t matter, he do what he wants. ” Taeyong replied rawly, then left the house.

*

Jaehyun wasn't sure what the world would be like in which the Light Coven no longer existed. There was no balance, but maybe no one but him felt so awful. All the legacies of the Light Coven were destroyed, as were each of its members. The boy wasn't sure what that meant to the Light Lord, but as he destroyed the book he heard the man's dying roar. He did not know if it was possible at all to kill a superior being like the Light Lord. But in vain Jaehyun worried that there was no balance in the world anymore, however the only thought in his mind now that he had done what the Dark Lord had asked him to do.

Youngho's words still rang in his ears that he’ll get his reward if he’s completing the task he was given. And Jaehyun did it and didn’t fuck it up, as Taeyong thought he would. He did everything he could, but as he looked down at his scarred hands he realized that power really came at a price. And the crown did not heal these wounds as quickly as he had guessed.

Jaehyun did everything for Youngho's love, he thought it was right, it was all his dreams. Taeyong was right, the Light Coven attacked them and not the other way around, they also wanted no balance. The Light Lord also wanted no balance… but the journey to Hell always began with Eden. Jaehyun did not know the Light, he was born in the Darkness, but he could have chosen the other path. Yet he remained here, for his family, for his friends, and later for Youngho. It was his life, he loved this life, he agreed with what the Dark Coven taught. He would never have turned his back on this life, as it was the only one he knew and loved.

"Youngho, I did what you asked." he whispered into the darkness of the night as he thought about their upcoming wedding. "When are you coming back?" he asked even quieter, but received no answer. He was seized in despair for a moment and feared that Youngho might have really changed his mind this time. He was afraid that the Dark Lord was not happy with him and yet in the end they would not have a wedding. And at the thought, his throat tightened and he felt tears stabbing his eyes again, so he closed them instead and forced himself to fall asleep somehow.

*

The world seemed darker than Jaehyun had known since birth. The countdown began until the Day of Doomsday, and the members of the Dark Coven eagerly awaited what the future had in store for them. Jaehyun found it alarming that no light was left in the world, but he made no voice of despair. He had to believe that Judgment would bring the true ascension of the Dark Coven. They had been weak for years, but now they could come into possession of forces that would help them to be the most powerful coven all around the world. They will be an immortal coven, but in the meantime the world of mortals will no longer be the same as it was.

"Was the Dark Lord here?" Jaehyun asked in a disappointed voice as Taeyong stood at the table. Apparently he didn’t want to spend much time in the company of the boy.

“Yes, early in the morning. He still has work to do in Hell, but he asked me to let you know he was proud of you. ” Taeyong replied harshly. "We can start preparing for your wedding."

"Why didn't he contact me?" Jaehyun asked softly.

"He didn't have time for you now." Taeyong replied, but he had no idea how it felt for Jaehyun. "Your wedding will be in a week, in the meantime you better gather yourself." he added, then left the house without a word. Yuta and Jaemin stayed with the boy for the rest of the day.

"Aren't you excited?" Jaemin asked enthusiastically as he sat down next to Jaehyun.

"No." Jaehyun replied depressedly, and Jaemin and Yuta exchanged a frightened look. "I feel alone, I thought he would be here with me."

"Jaehyun, you know the Dark Lord is much busier than we are." Yuta replied in a soft voice. "You can't expect him to always be with you."

"But he's never with me." Jaehyun replied in a sad voice.

"You know that's not true either."

"All I know is that I feel alone and something is wrong!" Jaehyun replied nervously, then got up from the table. "I don't even know if I want this at all!"

"Jaehyun…" Jaemin began in a frightened voice.

"I can not do this." Jaehyun said before even Yuta could speak and with quick steps he also left the house.

*

Jaehyun knew it might not be best to be alone right now, but he was unable to be near his friends. Yuta and Jaemin just wanted to do good, they wanted to help with the wedding and Jaehyun knew fully well that he should have been excited and happy, but suddenly from the thought of the wedding he just felt like he wasn’t breathing. Suddenly, Youngho no longer seemed as real as he had been days ago and Jaehyun almost missed the visions. Everything changed and the boy knew that nothing would ever be the same as it used to be.

When he reached the clearing in the woods and remembered the ritual, a bittersweet feeling ran through his body. Everything turned on its head the day he wrote his name in the Book of the Beast at the age of twenty. Then his fate was sealed and then Youngho, the Dark Lord, chose him as his fiancé. Jaehyun was happy then, he felt special. But unfortunately he had to realize that now he wasn’t sure he really wanted this life. If marriage to the Dark Lord meant continuous solitude, Jaehyun would rather not want it all.

In the midst of his tangled thoughts, he finally decided he couldn’t stay here. He can’t stay near the Dark Coven because his thoughts are already a betrayal. He was lost and in the cold forest he felt he couldn’t count on anyone. He wanted Youngho, he had always wanted him, but now he too was just an unattainable dream. Jaehyun let himself be deceived and cursed himself for being so naive that he dared to believe he was really special.

The forest was getting darker and colder as the boy penetrated even deeper into the trees. Jaehyun knew he was already close to the borders and once he got there, he had to decide if he really wanted to leave this life behind or not. He had heard of nomadic witches who used magic quite differently than they did. They sacrificed neither to the Dark Lord nor to the Light Lord, they used natural magic, and slept under the open sky. Jaehyun could imagine being able to live such a life, but he was held back by too much, including the sign of the Dark Lord on his back.

"Jaehyun." Youngho's voice rang sharply in the darkness of the forest and Jaehyun stopped before he could even reach the border.

"Dark Lord." Jaehyun said and swallowed hard as he turned around. Youngho's dark gaze almost split him as they looked at each other. Jaehyun's knees began to tremble, but he could no longer decide if these feelings were real or not.

"What are you doing here alone?" Youngho asked, then stepped closer. His tall figure, strong arms, whole presence almost knocked Jaehyun off his feet as he took a timid step back. He felt his whole body tremble and the air vibrating around them from the tension.

"You know why I'm here." Jaehyun replied in a trembling voice. "You know everything, even what I didn't say." he added.

"You doubt me." Youngho noted, then took another step toward the boy. Jaehyun took a step back more firmly this time. "Jaehyun." Youngho's voice was like a growl. Jaehyun shuddered for a moment, but stood the man's gaze.

"I have done what you have asked, I have done my duty to you, My Lord." Jaehyun replied quietly. "The Light Coven is over, and the Dark Coven can ascend."

"You have not yet fulfilled all your duties, Jaehyun." Youngho replied harshly. "We haven't married yet."

“Have you ever…” Jaehyun began in a hoarse voice, trying his best not to cry. "My Lord… have you ever asked yourself if I want to marry you at all?"

"What question is this, Jaehyun?" Youngho asked, Jaehyun now didn't feel the heat he felt from the man's body. Youngho was angry and the boy knew he was the reason.

"I'm not sure our marriage would be good for the Dark Coven." Jaehyun replied and knew that his words had weight. "The Light Coven is destroyed, there is no more balance in the world."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Youngho declared with clenched teeth, then suddenly grew in front of Jaehyun and grabbed his arm. Jaehyun felt his body blaze, Youngho's touch was both kind and frightening. “You were born to be mine and it will be so! Don't question what is clear! ”

"You're hurting me!" Jaehyun said angrily, trying to pull his hand away from the man. "I did what you asked, let me go!"

"Don't keep saying that!" Youngho said irritably. "You are mine and nothing can change that!"

"Let me go, I don't want that!" Jaehyun screamed and tore his hand out of Youngho's grip. At Jaehyun's scream, the ground began to tremble and nearby trees turned out from the ground. Jaehyun looked around in horror, it was the power that was too much for him to bear, which shattered him from the inside while he still trying to look strong from the outside.

"Too late." Youngho said in a hoarse voice as he watched the boy and slowly the earthquake remained below. “The Night Crown is already yours, you have brought the Doom to the mortals and the ascension of the Dark Coven. There is no going back, there is no way back, just because you changed your mind.”

"I think I understood why you wanted me so much all the way through." Jaehyun said after a few minutes of silence and felt tears gather in his eyes. There were huge thunderstorms in the distance as gray rain clouds gathered in the sky, Jeehyun unable to control his feelings, so his power was confused as well. “You needed someone strong enough to wear the crown, right? Someone you can control to your liking? ” he then asked accusingly.

"I can control anyone as I please, Jaehyun." Youngho replied and laughed mockingly. After his laughter, the trees caught fire around them. “But you’re right, I needed someone strong enough to wear the crown. Light and Darkness - that's what all life is about, isn't it? Mortals are always afraid of the dark, of monsters like you and me, Jaehyun. ” he added, then walked closer to the boy again. Jaehyun did not back down this time. “I am a Morningstar, Jaehyun, I came from Hell and my goal has always been to make the world of mortals as dark as mine. And you were created for me, you’re just alive to be mine. ”

“I was predicted to be the strongest witch…” Jaehyun stammered with trembling lashes as the fire of hell almost burned his skin.

“Yeah, that’s right and that’s exactly why I need you. We complement each other, we make each other stronger. This is the balance that you think is no longer in the world because of the destruction of the Light Coven. ” Youngho explained in an almost softened voice and carefully drilled his fingers into the boy's soft hair. Jaehyun felt his thoughts begin to blur. The image of the woods was almost completely darkened, only Youngho's figure was still sharp before his eyes. “You were born to be mine and to rule with me over the world of witches and mortals alike. Only the two of us matter, Jaehyun, nothing else.”

"I'm too weak for that." Jaehyun replied softly.

“You’re not, you’ve never been weak. And the crown made you even stronger. ” Youngho replied firmly. "I know you're confused, but never question my love, Jaehyun."

"Why do I still feel like I'm in love alone?" Jaehyun asked and looked at Youngho with a blurred gaze. No matter how tangled his thoughts were, it was clear that he would not have been able to love anyone but Youngho. Nor could he explain why, perhaps out of duty? Or because it was an honor for the Dark Lord to choose him? There was no specific explanation for it, there was simply something between them that always vibrated in the air, something that chained them together, and Jaehyun knew it would only end if one of them died.

It was clear that he could never escape Youngho because the man would always find him wherever he tried to hide from him. Jaehyun closed his eyes and slowly kissed Youngho on the lips. He felt a bittersweet taste on his lips as Youngho's heat permeated his body as well. He couldn't lie about his feelings, no matter what happened, he was still in love with Youngho. Not because everyone expected him to do so, but because his feelings for Youngho have gradually deepened in recent years. Although he could not see the face of the Dark Lord for very long, it was not an obstacle for Jaehyun to fall deeply in love. And the connection between them grew stronger and throbbing, seeming unbreakable.

"Jaehyun, I'm sorry you got confused… I left you alone for too long, right?" Youngho asked in a remorseful voice as they pulled apart.

"Yes." Jaehyun replied softly and lowered his eyes. "Forgive me, My Lord."

"It's all right, I'm already here." Youngho replied and Jaehyun let him to hug him.

"And how long are you going to stay here?" Jaehyun asked barely audibly as he avoided Youngho's hellish gaze.

"Forever." Youngho replied firmly. "Tell me you're not against our marriage, please." he added in an almost pleading voice. Jaehyun never thought that one day the Dark Lord would beg him. He raised his hand carefully, then reached for Youngho's hand and clasped their fingers together.

“I love you, Youngho, Dark Lord or whatever I should call you. I’ve always loved you, even when I didn’t even know I would be yours one day. ” he then declared honestly.

Jaehyun was sad, but when he looked into Youngho's eyes he saw love. A shared future that was beautiful and dark. A world in which Jaehyun could feel at home everywhere. Youngho's words came to his mind that nothing but them mattered and he believed him, he believed he was really born to be Youngho's in the end of it all. Doomsday was approaching and Jaehyun knew they had to seal their destiny to do so. And their fate was to marry and rule under new rules in the world of both witches and mortals. They were strong and unbreakable, and Jaehyun knew their future was endless.

*

Youngho wanted to change old traditions, forge dark witches and the children of hell in a new community. Jaehyun didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but he wanted to be willing to help Youngho introduce the new traditions. Jaehyun barely noticed how much the coven's things had changed, his parents were far from able to control the coven. Youngho took control of everything and Taeyong was the first person he trusted the most, which was not surprising, Taeyong was smart and recovered, helping the work of the Dark Lord in everything.

In the week leading up to the wedding, Jaehyun remembered nothing but the endless rehearsals. Yuta and Jaemin discussed the decoration, the ceremony, and everything else together, and Jaehyun mostly just listened to them. He was excited, but less interested in the details, he simply wanted to be Youngho’s spouse already and as the big day approached, his patience waned.

Taeyong was still aloof with him for a while, but over time they reconciled. Jaehyun promised him that he would no longer be disappointed and even if Taeyong didn't believe him one hundred percent he just nodded with a smile. Everything was back to normal, but in the meantime everything changed very quickly.

"Jaehyun, this was sent to you by the Dark Lord, asking you to wear it on your wedding day." Jaemin said in an excited voice as he entered the boy's room. Yuta was still fiddling with the dress, so Jaehyun could only half turn to the younger boy.

"What is that?" Jaehyun asked as he glanced at the black box in Jaemin's hand. "You can open it, I can't move because of Yuta anyway…"

"Hey, I'm doing your clothes!" Yuta interrupted in a disapproving voice, still stitching the hem of the robe.

"You haven't been doing anything else in days." Jaehyun replied, but he smiled reassuringly at his friend as Jaemin lifted the top of the box and handed it to Jaehyun.

“Oh…,” Jaehyun said with a gasping breath when he saw the jewelry lurking in the box. The black stones dotted with glittering earrings and matching necklaces were beautiful. Jaehyun had seen a lot of jewelry in his life, but this was the prettiest of them all.

"It's beautiful." Jaemin chirped cheerfully as he took a closer look at the jewelry. "I think that weird man could have brought it straight from Hell."

"Doyoung is the weird man you mean?" Jaehyun asked laughing.

"Yes, I believe." Jaemin laughed back. "But think about it, it could be a Morningstar legacy."

"For sure." Yuta replied, stopping the hustle and bustle around the dress so he could take a look at the jewelry too. "If it's from Hell, it's definitely special."

"It'll be clear on the wedding day." Jaehyun replied and nodded that Jaemin could close the top of the box. When he turned back to the mirror, he smiled involuntarily, for he would have a wedding in two days.

*

The Dark Wedding was held at night, at the witching hour. Jaehyun saw a red moon in his vision that morning and saw it as a good sign, it was also a red moon the night he wrote his name in the Book of the Beast. And soon, when it was so dark out there that almost nothing could be seen, Jaehyun found himself on Yuta’s side on the path to the lake. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest as his fingers squeezed the bouquet he held in his hand so tightly that the boy was sure they were completely whitened.

"You don't have to worry, Jaehyun, everything will be fine." Yuta said in a kind voice as they walked quietly to the wedding venue.

"I've been waiting for this day my whole life." Jaehyun replied quietly. Sometimes it felt like it was just a dream, but Youngho was more real than anything else Jaehyun knew. And Youngho knew Jaehyun better than anyone else in the world. He knew every detail of his body and soul, as if they had lived at least a hundred lives together. Youngho surprised Jaehyun again and again every day and the boy felt he fell in love with the other even deeper each minute. Jaehyun knew he would do anything for Youngho because they belonged together, every tiny slice of their being was one.

Youngho was there in all the shadows, he was the darkness itself, and Jaehyun wanted to be a part of him now forever. Youngho was the center of the universe, the other half of Jaehyun's being. Because they complemented each other and Jaehyun now believed that this had always been the case. This world deserved nothing but darkness and monsters like him and Youngho. Jaehyun knew the two of them would be invincible forever.

Youngho's tall figure rose above the coven. In the light of the candles, Jaehyun didn't see anything but him, but he didn't have to see anyone else, because it was Youngho who was here now for him. When he stopped in front of the man, Yuta carefully arranged his robe on the ground and Jaehyun hoped Youngho would find him beautiful. It was the most amazing robe Yuta had ever made: with a huge barge lined with beautiful lace, in spite of the dress, it was deep black but Jaehyun felt it still shine with every move he made. He was wearing Youngho's jewelry, and the Night Crown rested on his head.

"You are beautiful, My Prince." Youngho smiled and Jaehyun's body flooded with heat as he smiled back.

"You too, Dark Lord." he replied and his wildly pounding heart seemed to slowly calm down. Youngho meant home, love, and eternity. Youngho was also dressed in black, and a bright black crown rested on his head, Jaehyun guessed it might have been a Morningstar legacy, too.

The Dark Wedding was also like a ritual, but Jaehyun and Youngho were now equal and sacrificed themselves to each other while making a promise that they would be each other’s forever. Jaehyun couldn't take his eyes off Youngho for a minute. The boy knew hundreds were watching them, yet he felt intimate the moment Youngho cut his hand with the knife. Then when he cut Youngho's hand and dripped their blood together into an empty cup, Jaehyun saw nothing but Youngho. He let the elder lift the cup and drink it with their already mixed blood, then took the cup from him so he could drink the other half of it.

"You are no longer a Witch Prince." Youngho remarked softly as his warm fingers touched Jaehyun's soft lips and gently wiped off the few drops of blood still left there. "You are the Witch King."

"As you wish, My Lord." Jaehyun nodded, then they both turned to Taeyong, who was holding the Book of the Beast toward them. The Midnight Vow was traditionally part of the Dark Wedding, yet Jaehyun’s voice trembled as he and Youngho read the text together.

“The night is thickening and now our life together begins, which can never end. You are mine and I am yours forever. We are the darkness. We are the beginning and the end. I promise you my life from this night to all the nights to come. We were born in the darkness and the darkness will be our home forever. ”

Jaehyun shivered pleasantly as he looked back at Youngho. And the next moment, they kissed each other to seal the ceremony. Youngho's fiery lips were pleasantly familiar and Jaehyun felt that everything was finally in place. The jewelry he was wearing was tingling as they touched his skin, but he was too lost in Youngho's touch to notice that the stones had turned blood red.

"You are mine and I am yours." Youngho whispered to his lips as he pulled away from him a little. "Remember this well, Jaehyun, we're equal." he added barely audibly. Jaehyun pulled away completely from him and looked into his eyes, which promised plenty of elusive and beautiful things for their future.

He couldn't remember when he had dropped the bouquet and pulled Youngho closer to him for another kiss. It didn’t matter because the world ceased to exist the moment they drank the blood and made the vow. Everything ceased to exist, only the two of them and nothing else in the world mattered. He couldn’t see his friends, he couldn’t see the Dark Coven either, the faces were blurred and everything else was blurry, but Youngho’s figure was sharp in the dark night.

Jaehyun's knees trembled as he looked into Youngho's eyes and wanted to tell him a thousand times that he loved him. But the words did not come, Jaehyun lost in Youngho's whole being and decided that there might not be a better feeling in the world. Youngho laid him gently on the ground and freed him from his robe with even gentler movements. Jaehyun watched with a hazy look as Youngho lifted the crown from his head and then got rid of his own clothes as well. There was a nauseatingly sweet scent in the air and Jaehyun could no longer decide what reality was and what he had imagined.

Youngho's kisses were just as fiery as ever. Every touch of the man was familiar, full of love, and Jaehyun's body reacted spontaneously to every touch. In every move of Youngho Jaehyun felt that their love was real and now finally fulfilled. When Youngho entered him, he felt the man fill all his senses as if they were one body. They were one.

Jaehyun knew at that moment that his life had only just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I am aware that the story is kind of confusing in some points... but yeah, I did finished it and they could live happily ever after :)  
> I am thankful for all of you who left me comments and kudos on this work. I don't think that this is my best one but I sure wanted to write something with Jaehyun and Johnny. I actually have some more ideas in store so maybe I'll return with a new fic soon :)
> 
> Thank you for being here and stay safe!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I hope you are stayed until the end :)  
> I am reall sorry about my English, it is probably not perfect, but I tried my best. I will try to improve the chapters as we go on... well, it won't be a really long fic I guess, but I tried my best. Also this was only the beginning so not much happened. I still hope you enjoyed it and didn't freak out about the dark things and satanic witch thing. I don't know much about these stuffs of course so I just made up the ritual and everything, also kind of inspired by the 'Chilling adventures of Sabrina'. Also keep in mind that since they are in a Dark Coven these stuffs are perfectly normal for them.
> 
> Please do let me know if you liked it or not. I am already working on the second chapter but still don't know when will I finish it.


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